orengel on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/orengel/art/A-Friendship-Forged-with-Fire-584495902orengel

Deviation Actions

A Friendship Forged with Fire

Published: Jan 15, 2016

763 Views

Description

Autumn, Year 746 of the New Age
Silverthorne, by the Winterflame
Featuring Jahnu and Lakota (NPC)

_{“Jigga jigga jigga BOOM.”

The little brown colt laid stretched out on his front, giggling to himself as he made the fire in front of him flare on command, pushing it to his will. Years of solitude and disconnect from his siblings and other fawns his age had made Jahnu something of a champion in the field of single play. This was only made better when he finally turned three and found himself able to manipulate the flames to his will.

Oh, the games he could play with this ability… Jahnu snorted in amusement at the thought of scaring his sister by making the fire make faces at her -- it would be a worthy gaff, if only he could achieve that level of control. Frowning, the burnished golden-brown colt squinted at the fire in intense concentration, trying to force it into a shape. However for all his efforts, he managed no more than a half-hearted wave from the flames; the fire bending slightly to the right for a split second before resuming its usual hearty crackling.

Huffing, Jahnu eyed the fire with distaste before sticking his tongue out at it mulishly. He was just about to squint his eyes even harder and try again, when an amused voice came from behind him.

“You’re not goin’ to get anywhere bein’ all grouchy like that!”

Jahnu wrinkled his nose at the interruption and turned to glare balefully behind him at his unwanted companion. Seeing the large, awkwardly gangly black hind, he groaned and allowed his head to drop down between his forelegs, pressing his forehead to the ground in a theatrical show of despair.

“Gods take me, just don’t leave me with her.” He mumbled, yelping as the dark hind huffed and stepped on his tail painfully in retribution. Scowling, he straightened up and glared over his shoulder at the hind, trying to scare her off to bother someone else. “What do you want, Lakota?” He grumbled, groaning loudly as she stepped daintily over his sprawled form to lay next to him, a safe distance from the flames.

“Hullo to you too, Jahnu.” She said with a grin, tilting her chin up pointedly as he grumbled silently to himself. Carefully tucking her long legs under herself, the hind nodded to the flames that crackled just beyond her smaller companion. “I saw you try’na play with the fire. You’re doin’ it wrong.” She said matter-of-factly, earning herself another scowl from the colt.

“What would YOU know, anyway? You’re only a halfer, and ev’ryone knows halfers don’ do magic.” Jahnu said snidely, rolling his eyes -- though his disdain cut off into a yelp of surprise as a lick of flame from the fire beside him reached out to whip against his side.

Glaring -- because he may not have been hurt, but the sudden shock was nonetheless unpleasant -- Jahnu sneered at the hind, rolling his eyes again -- more obviously -- as she simply smirked back at him.

“Can too, see? Ima better fire bender than YOU are anyways.” She said, smirking. When the colt scowled thunderously and looked as if he were about to walk away, she reached out to flick him with her tail, carefully getting him on his back, well away from the eternal flames. “I can… show you. If you like. If it’s not too embarrassin’ that a halfer is teachin’ you.” She sneered back, her mirrored look of disdain breaking off into a giggle as the colt looked at her with a mixture of exasperation and mistrusting interest.

“Wotchu being nice for? We’re not friends, so what’s your deal?” Jahnu asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the older hind. Seemingly caught off guard by his words, the dark hind flushed, looking slightly embarrassed before her look turned to one of determination. Sitting up to give herself the advantage of height (not difficult, with her already large frame) she glared fiercely at the colt. “So? Jus’ coz we’re no’ friends don’t mean I can’t be good t’ you.” She spat, laying her ears back. “‘Sides. You’re mean and nasty and not a nice colt… but…” Here her tone shifted from where it had been steadily raising with the heat of her anger, turning to one of quiet sadness. “But I… get it. I don’t have friends either. Nobody wants to be friends with a halfer, and even my mama don’t want me to be too out there on display. So I can’t really talk t’ anyone.” After a pause, the hind shrugged slightly, smiling self-deprecatingly.. “But you’re, like. Different. Like me. Like, nobody wants you either.” The gentleness of her words soothed the hurt of what she was saying and, despite himself, Jahnu found himself looking at the hind with a wary hope. “So you, what, wanna teach me fire stuff jus’ so you get t’ talk?” He clarified, wrinkling his nose. The hind snorted and laughed shortly at his words, shaking her head with bright eyes. “Kinda? I guess I just… wanna be friends.”

The golden brown colt huffed and shrugged, trying to look unaffected by the hind’s offer of friendship. “Yeah… alright.” He said slowly, looking away to the fire so the hind -- Lakota, he reminded himself, after all friends used each other's’ names -- wouldn’t see the small, helpless smile that crept onto his face. After all, nobody had ever wanted to be his friend before; his siblings thought him cursed, his mother teared up whenever she looked at him and to his father he was nothing but an eternal disappointment… having a friend would be… nice.

Clearing his throat to shift the weird clog he could feel building there, he looked at his companion with an imperious look, wrinkling his nose at her. “Well come on then, we don’t have all day, y’know? I have plans.”

And to a backdrop of Lakota’s helpless giggles and peeling laughter, Jahnu spilt all the details of the trick he was planning to play on his sister and, together, they practiced their magic control until Jahnu was finally able to hold the flames into the rough shape of a leering face for a few seconds.

Mission set, go.}