With a chuckle, Wink strolled over to her young charge and nuzzled her between the ears. Whatever the filly protested, as far as the mare was concerned she remained absolutely adorable, even as she entered the clumsy stage when her legs and hooves seemed to be growing too fast for the rest of her and tying themselves in knots. After several months watching over the filly she was all the more precious to Wink. "Vant to know who iss zhis 'eveyryvun' you talkink about. Zhey haff some uff styrangest ideas. Vouldn't listen to zhem too much vere I you. Now, be comink zhis vay, iss stand uff tyrees not fayr. Can scyratch zhan itchy head und haff leaf foyr a change, yes?"
Mystic looked up with her big golden eyes at the bauble be-decked mare, gaze lingering on the long pair of horns that rose with dangerous grace over the Tribal's slim neck. Following after her foster-mother as Wink headed for the trees just visible in the early autumn mist she asked, "Do you think I'm gyrowing hoyrns like you? My tail itches when I gyrow new featheyrs in and my wings itch and you said they weyre gyrowing and now my head itches too! Am I gyrowing things theyre too?" The still stubby wyvern wings on her front legs fluttered slightly as she hopped eagerly at the thought. Though they were still far too small to enable flight, her wings were almost large enough now to allow her to glide safely down from places that Wink didn't think she should have been. Almost. But she had gotten better at landing and tumbling so that she didn't wind up hurt again.
As a little breeze sprang up and ruffled through their manes Wink turned and smiled fondly back at the filly. "You could be dayrlink. Or moyre feazeyrs peyrhaps. But could just be itchy head. Youyre back vas itchy ozzeyr day, not zhinkink zhat you gyrowink spikes. Vould see zhem, or feel bumps undeyr skin. Had cousin who gyrew spikes late, could tell zhey vere zheyre befoyre he stayrted itchink. But...could still be gyrowink hoyrns."
After pondering on this for awhile Mystic chirped cheerfully, "Ok! You'll tell me if you feel my hoyrns stayrting to gyrow in though, yright?" Wink sighed and nodded as they drew near enough to the trees to see them clearly through the slowly thinning fog, just in time for Mystic to whicker happily and take off running. "I see biyrdies in the tyrees!
Picking up the pace to a canter to keep up with the galloping (but shorter legged) filly Wink's eyes sparkled. Though the little filly had so far shown no interest in attempting to fly with her little wings (glide, oh yes; fly, no), she adored all winged things from bats to birds to glittering little insects. Even the mosquito biting her flank would be admired after being shaken off, though at least she seemed to have drawn the line at the big biting flies that tried to gather around their eyes and ears. And she hadn't objected to the sharply pungent plants that Wink had insisted they both roll in to keep the biting insects at bay. But of course a tree full of flying birds was going to attract her attention! The ground dwelling birds of the plains were more likely to run away under cover of the grass when they heard her bumbling towards them, and little Mystic would never see more than the fleeting flash of tail feathers. At least if the fliers fled she'd see them taking off.
Come to think of it...Wink probably needed to encourage her to watch the birds and bats more... While Wink was no judge of such things, she rather suspected that the little air Mystic would fly one day, and Wink with her vestigial wing wasn't going to be able to teach her how. One thought led to another, and as they entered the tiny grove Wink was wondering if it might be time to consider turning their wandering path towards the Rainbow Hotsprings. She had been there before and found it a lovely place to visit, full of hot water, secluded alcoves, plenty of gossip, and a lovely source of new trinkets. Mystic should like that part. Plenty of times she had managed to twist feathers into her mane, and she had loved it when they found an outcropping of mica that Wink had managed to crush to tiny fragments that made their coats sparkle after rolling in it. A proper bit of jewelry would look lovely on her. It almost hurt Wink's Tribal sensibilities at times to see her charge going around with nary a trinket to her name.
The Tribal Song she had been visiting when she first met the filly had been the last intelligent beings they had met out here and it hadn't occurred to Wink to try and trade for some baubles from that magic rich Song. Out here the only trinkets to be had were hers, or the loose feathers and plants that Mystic played with, then lost. She never seemed to notice their loss and was quite happy to start over with the next pretty she found. That ease of letting them go was what had Wink hesitant about offering one of her little trinkets to the filly. They weren't really designed to be twisted into a mane either...
Meanwhile, as Wink was pondering trinkets and travel plans, Mystic had burst into the trees and sent a rush of birds upwards in panic at the abrupt invasion of their trees. She watched in awe and admiration as wings of all colors flashed and swirled around, roughly half the birds choosing to start their day early and flying off while the rest settled back onto higher branches with squawks and shrieks of annoyance.
Sitting down with a sigh of pleasure, thoughts of breakfast forgotten, the little Mystic stared up at the birds and whispered to herself, "I'd like a little biyrdie fyriend one day. Does one of you want to be my fyriend?" There was longing in her voice as she stared up at the birds as they settled back in, grooming and chattering, slowly calming enough that fragments of song drifted down. Mystic sighed again. Her Sibyl friend had had a lovely little firebird chick. She would be happy with even a little brown bird if only it would stay with her and be her friend. As much as she adored Wink and admired the fiery mare...it would be nice to have her own special little friend who would stay with her even after she had grown up and was expected to go off on her own.
Much to Mystic's surprise, after a few minutes of her staring up at the birds a sleepy voice yawned out, "Ah'm not a biyrd, but Ah'll be youyr fyriend if you like" Startled, the filly whirled, tripped, and went sprawling out on her back staring up at one of the strangest Samanayrs she had seen in her young life. From where she was laying she could see a long, thin tail curled around a branch and sharp hooked talons gripping the same branch as the sleepy eyed stallion hung upside down from the tree. Big blue eyes blinked mildly at her as huge feather-fringed ears swiveled upwards in interest. And it looked like a fringe of feathers surrounded the base of his tail, just like her own feathery tail. Except...she didn't have a tree gripping tail under them. That looked awkward. Why did he have two tails?
The aboreal above her tilted his head, bemused. Twisting around he looked up at his combination tail, then shrugged and let go. Mystic gasped as he started to drop, then gasped again in wonder as rainbow edged wings spread wide and he spiraled lazily down to her. Wings flailed madly as he touched down and scrambled for a grip on the flat surface with hooks designed for the canopy above. By the time he was stable and flicked his wings to his sides again the ground was rather sliced up and churned. This didn't seem to bother him in the least as he sat down with a plop and looked down at the little filly with a sweet smile. "Ah don't have two tails though," he commented mildly, flicking the prehensile portion around to curl at his feet.
Mystic blinked up at the strange stallion, then trotted around behind him to see for herself. His wings flopped open again to balance him as he twisted his neck around to watch her, but she barely noticed the normally tempting spread of colorful feathers as she focused on his tail. The stallion flinched slightly, but otherwise made no comment as one triple hoof poked at the base of his tail where rainbow feathers sprouted around the base of the long, flexible tail. She stared at the tail for a long time, then met his mild gaze stubbornly. "You do too have two tails!" she insisted..
"Do not.
"Do too!"
"Do not."
The stallion seemed quite willing to sit there and placidly continue his simple argument in the face of Mystic's growing ire, but the two of them were interrupted by Wink plunging through the trees and shouldering him out of the way in order to reach her charge. When she whirled to face him she seemed taken aback to find that the stallion had simply flopped over on his side and was now sprawled out on the ground watching them with a mildly injured expression.
Ignoring her foster-mother's now hesitant defiance, Mystic peered around Wink's legs and said quite insistently, "Two tails!" and then stuck her little tongue out at him.
Sighing and making no move to rise to his feet the stallion fluttered one wing slightly at Wink. "Beg payrdon Ah'm suyre. Didn't yrealize Ah was in yuyr way. Don't mind me, Ah'll get mahself back to mah feet and go nap in mah tyree afteyr a bit. Not eveyry day Ah get company out heyre an' the little filly wanted to talk. Help yeyrself to the gyraze, moyre than I could eveyr eat Ah'm sure." Despite his words he made no move to rise as he yawned and blinked sleepily at the pair.
Wink now looked decidedly uneasy, but turned to herd Mystic deeper into the grove and further from the unsettling stallion. He was quite the looker now that she'd actually bothered to take a look at him, and he seemed quite harmless and friendly. Under other circumstances she would happily have flirted with him, though carefully with a mind to those wicked hooks. Now...she was embarrassed and determined not to show it. Had it really been so long since she'd seen another of the Kin besides the little Mystic that she was so clumsy?
After a moment of pained thought Wink noticed that she was missing something, one small tag-along Mystic. Twisting frantically around, miniature wings flashing outwards in agitation, she spotted the flash of pale blue trotting determinedly back towards the stallion. Rearing and pivoting she cantered back in pursuit, trying to call her charge back. Mystic was having none of that however. The angle of her ears and the stubborn set of her feathered tail told Wink that the filly was at her most stubborn and uncooperative.
When Mystic reached the vivid green stallion who was just now picking himself carefully back up, she plopped her rump down on the ground in front of him and stared. He leaned slightly back, ears flat and eyes wide with what appeared to be worry. Wink paused, dancing in place as fallen leaves whirled upwards in the sudden breeze.
The filly took a deep breath as the two adults held theirs, then let it out in a sudden rush of words that practically tumbled over one another. "I'm soyrry we buyrst into youyr gyrove and upset you and made you fall oveyr and get youyr pyretty featheyrs all diyrty and dusty and I didn't even ask who you weyre and I can't intyroduce myself because I'm not old enough to have a name and I like youyr featheyrs but I still think you have two tails but that's ok because Wink says eveyryone is diffeyrent and the featheyrs are so pyretty and coloyrful and you have lots and moyre than I do and can I have one that fell out oveyr theyre and if you'yre not mad then I'll be youyr fyriend since you asked if you still want and...and...hi?"
The stallion slowly let out his breath, glancing over at Wink who reluctantly nodded permission. "Well then. Ah think Ah followed most of that little miss. Ah'm not mad and Ah'd be honoyred to be youyr fyriend." Reaching over he snagged the shed feather she'd spotted neatly between his hooked hooves and offered it to her, then neatly plaited it into her mane on a whim. As Mystic twisted and turned to admire it, breezes dancing around and ruffling her mane, making the feather dance with them but not fall out so far, the stallion rocked himself back to his feet.
"We seem to have gotten off tah a bad stayrt. Say we tyry things oveyr ma'm? Ah'm Spyrawl of the Lazy-Summeyr Afteyrnoon, and this heyre little spot o'tyrees is wheyre Ah've been staying foyr the past faiyr while. Yeyr both welcome and moyre than to the bounty o'this place, such as it is. Wyrong time foyr the fyruits of floweyrs 'less yeyr planning to stay a few weeks moyre yet. But plenty o'sweet leaves left."
Slowly Wink stepped forwards and bowed her head slightly. "I am Vink uff zhe Fliyrtacious Gypsy," she began, cheeks darkening slightly, though mostly unnoticed under the dark mask of fur on her face. "Und zhis iss a leetle air Mystic I am vatchink." Sprawl's ears flicked upwards in surprise at her thick accent as she continued. "Ve haff been tyravelink faiyr vhile, last zhink she tyried talk vith vas nasty snake. Am...zoyrry as vell. Ve not stay and bozzeyr you lonk...am zhinking ve go to Yrainbow Hotspyrinks now. let heyr meet ozzers."
As the two adults had been talking, Mystic had slowly sidled closer and closer to the stranger. Just after Wink finished speaking, the filly hopped the last little bit over to him and tucked herself cheerfully under his wing, her own little wings fluttering happily. Sprawl half lifted his wing in astonishment and both adults stared at her. Merrily the filly giggled up at them and flicked her tail happily. "Look look Wink! I found a cave!" Slightly nonplussed Sprawl lowered his wing again and stared worriedly at Wink. "Is she...always like this?"
The pair wound up staying at Sprawl's temporary home for longer than Wink had planned. Little Mystic loved him (perhaps not surprising Wink had decided, given the number of colorful feathers he was sporting), and he placidly put up with the worst of her antics. His slow and steady nature was a good influence on the flighty little filly as far as Wink was concerned, and nothing ever seemed to rattle his nerves. It didn't hurt that he was so easy on the eye to look at. A bit over bright in color perhaps, but a fine young stallion in spite of his rather lazy nature. And watching him lazily stretch his wings with a bit of fancy flying for Mystic's entertainment? Well, it might not be for her benefit, but that wasn't going to stop Wink from enjoying the show!
It was also growing apparent to Wink that her charge's magic was starting to bloom. The entire several months they had traveled together she had grown accustomed to the fact that whenever Mystic grew frightened or excited or otherwise emotionally charged random breezes would spring up out of nowhere. But now it seemed to be happening with increasing frequency, and the little filly wasn't quite so little anymore. She seemed to be entering a growth spurt, and given that Wink wasn't entirely sure just how old her charge was...she was rather suspecting that the filly was fast approaching becoming a yearling. Mystic's wings were starting to develop more, her complaints of itchy wings and head were growing more frequent, and winter was swiftly approaching.
It was that last as much as anything that decided Wink. She had spent enough winters out on the plains to not relish the notion of another one. Particularly not with an untrained air Mystic who might just manage to stir things up unintentionally. And Wink's weather senses were already tingling with the feeling of not so distant snow. Now would be a lovely time to continue on their way to the Rainbow Hotsprings. There they could stay warm all winter long, there would be food aplenty, trinkets to collect, fliers to teach Mystic (though Sprawl had made a start in that direction, but his wings didn't work the same way as hers did), and there would almost certainly be a few Mystics to teach her control of her blossoming magic. While Wink's own weather sense did seem to be of some help, the Mystic filly was quickly going to need more than just the advise of a weather-wise mare to control her magic.
Wink had made her decision and was planning to inform the other two of her intents in the morning. When she woke to find the first frost of the season glistening on the trees (and also on the edges of Sprawl's fur), she was even more set on that path. She doubted that Mystic would put up too much of an objection either given that the filly had tucked herself under Wink's miniature wing in the night and was trying to burrow into her side.
Nudging Mystic awake, Wink chuckled softly. "Cold darlink? Am zhinkink iss time to move on, head someplace varmeyr foyr winteyr. You be needink teacheyrs ozzeyr zhan me soon anyvays leetle vun."
Mystic yawned, then blinked up at Wink, twisted to see the feather still tucked into her mane, and then looked back at Wink in concern. "But...what about Spyrawl? Can he come too?" Before Wink could reply, the stallion answered for himself from his perch in the trees above. "Mah thoughts weyre tending that way mahself. Thinking about goi'n home to visit foyr a bit, spend the winteyr at the Yrainbow Hotspyrings. Been theyre a time oyr two, nice place, much betteyr chance of staying wayrm. Yeh weyre plann'n to head that way yerself, weyren't you? Seem to yrecall something like that I think. Might as well tyravel togetheyr if yeh don't mind." Yawning he examined the frosted tip of his tail for a bit before puffing on it to melt the ice crystals. "Yready?"
After a meal of some of the last of the season's fruit and a bit of time for Mystic to say goodbye to all the birds who yet lingered, the three headed out, Sprawl lazily soaring overhead. As the little Mystic watched him, for the first time she seemed to show an interest in flying on her own. Watching her, Wink could see the golden eyes sparkle as Sprawl swooped past, saw the renewed interest in those eyes as Mystic furtively examined her own fledging wings before breaking into a gallop and racing off after Sprawl as he glided on ahead. For a brief moment Wink regretted that her own wings were too small to ever carry her in flight, but it passed as Mystic veered off course to examine something she'd found hidden in the grass. With a slight smile the Tribal mare picked up her own pace to see what her charge had found. It was good to be traveling again.
