Lonely from their years of humidity and quiet as the trees they came from ;;

I moved through the jungle, finding nothing really that interested me. There were many adults, but none of them wanted to discuss things with a child despite how intellectual they might be. So I moved into the back of the jungle, shadows surrounding me while I moved rocks with my mind. I was a child of Brighton, mentally, but of Sasha and Dresden physically. I knew my Mother was kind of a big deal here and my father was the son of the new Southern King – did that make me an heir to the throne? Not that it mattered, I had a lot to learn still before I even thought about trying to acquire some power in this place. Mother was slowly teaching me things, like how to crack riddles in the Mesa and even make up my own codes. She said I would be taught better by my Aunt Cortana, who was a genius in the Mesa. Mother’s specialty was diplomacy, which also interested me. I really wanted to meet Queen Viriarus, because I was sure she could teach me many things about this place.

Many boys had desires of destruction or of females; yes, females were beautiful and interesting and destruction was its own type of fun but I could really live without it. I was a level two earth-walker, chosen by Brighton before I was conscious of this world. He was spiritual and had a love of knowledge, the same as I did. The emerald on my chest glowed lightly, knowing my thoughts were on my deity, and a small broke over my ashen lips. I know, I was the crazy foal smiling to himself, right? I was more like a wallflower, I guess. I knew there was a gaggle of boys running around this place due to many of the Valkyrie’s indiscretions, and a few might even be related to me (about that I was unsure).

I moved around the jungle, my awkward legs making it quite difficult to move in any normal matter – not that it mattered, really, but I was peculiar about a few things. It changed every so often, just because I got bored with the same thing every day. Maybe I needed some friends after all. Socialization was a skill I needed to work on; I much rather preferred wandering around the shadows. I would be that guy with his nose in a book if I were human – you know the kid who read things like Crack and Perks of Being a Wallflower? Yeah, that would be me: The stereotypical indie kid, who wore converse because they were comfortable and played the piano instead of the guitar (because everyone plays the guitar). Maybe I shouldn’t socialize… It all sounded a little gay, to me. God, wouldn’t that just fucking suck, finally get the courage to talk to a girl (despite the outward appearance that I was self confident) and have them want me to be their shopping buddy.

Oh the fucking horror.

Sounds distracted me, pulling out of the inner monologue that seemed to be trailing on forever now. Noises, voices to be more precise, drawing me out of the shadows and into a clearing where two other colts stood. Tommy and Charon? Interesting. Well, at least they weren’t named after a roman emperor, or the dog on the new BK commercial. I rather liked my name, though… I was growing into it, slowly. Mind you, I was still all legs and fuzzy fur, but I would end up growing eventually.

Hey, I’m Tiberius.

Speaking of awesome, right? Just what they wanted, I bet, some random kid crashing their party of two. I really knew how to make things awkward, didn’t I? Just barge in, Tib, and sit there like some kid who never was taught how to socialize.

Mind if I join you guys?

As if I couldn’t sound any more gay, that sentence really sealed the deal for me, didn’t it? I looked around, glancing at both of them (was that one really a lightwalker?) and decided to take matters into my own hands. Sasha had let me wander around the jungle as long as I didn’t go out into the cold. That seemed like a pretty decent boundary, because who liked the cold anyway?

Have you guys explored the whole jungle yet?

I asked nonchalantly; I felt like I knew the jungle as well as I knew my back… Okay, that was a bad example. Maybe as well as I knew my right hoof? Much better. I would move on if they didn’t want to come with me; find the other boys who were running around the jungle. I really didn’t like being in places people didn’t want me, which was why I was really worried about where I would live once I grew up. Father was a Rajput and Mother was a Valkyrie, which complicated things. Perhaps if I made a good case to King Synyster, he would allow me to join him and his band of brothers and I could still visit with my Mother. Although, you never knew how things would be in the future, did you? Unless you were a child of Elyria, of course.

There are a bunch of little punkass kids who think they’re all hardcore running around.

I had come across a few here and there, and really felt tempted to hurl boulders at their heads. I really hoped Tommy and Charon weren’t as odd as the others I had happened across were. If they were, I’d just move on, maybe ask permission to go explore the Rajputs or something. No, that didn’t make me a momma’s boy, just polite – I didn’t want to piss off anyone just yet. I was a pacifist and philosopher, or at least I would like to think of myself as such. Besides, who was the guy the girls all flocked to when the loud, flashy guys were showing off? That’s right boys, while you’re wrestling and acting all tough the girls would come to me and I would take them home before you even knew what happened.

So maybe I did have a use for girls, after all.

Word count: 1089