.:|TITHE|:.

Tithe poked and prodded through the rocks and caves that made up a lot of the Bay. Months old, his mane and tail starting to grow into wavy tufts, he still looked small, young, and mostly legs. He had taken to wandering through the caves and the rest of the land. His mother was not far off, always around to make sure nothing truly bad happened to her son. Any trouble he found himself in they both had confidence he could get himself back out of. There had only been once or twice where she had to step in and show him how to escape a small rock slide, or an angry seal. Now, he roamed casually, keeping away from places he normally found danger, hoping his mother would give him more space. He breathed deep when he entered a small cave he had more or less come to call his own. In the back of the cave was a small trickle of water that he simply enjoyed standing next to and listening to the water giggle over the rocks. He would happily spend hours by this natural fountain while his mother watched and waited patiently outside.

When he entered the cave he stood by the falling water for a moment, occasionally pressing his nose to is and letting it run over the soft velvet. Another sound interrupted the soothing babble. Soft clicks and chatters came from above him. Tithe looked up to see a family of small bats peering down at him as curiously as he looked back up at them. Fuzzy ears trained on them as did his dark eyes. Seeing something new and interesting brought intense joy to the young creature. He stretched out to try to reach them. They too stretched wings toward him, but all attempts fell short. Still amazed by what he had found, Tithe trotted to the mouth of his cave to tell Amaranthe. She was not by the opening, where she usually stood watch. Disappointed, he glanced back into the depths of his refuge and decided to let the bats continue their rest undisturbed. With a sigh, the foal continued his ventures over the terrain.

The colt had found himself on the rocky beach. As his hooves sunk into the rocks he remembered playing around in the waves mere months ago. The tides of time had changed and the pull of the sea was stronger. There was a chance that they were growing too strong for his still young body to face alone. In the distance he saw a cream and gold speckled form come from the waves and pull itself onto the shores. He moved his short tail in what would one day be a swish as he looked through his growing and curling mane. Concern grew in the boy’s mind when he noticed the stallion limping. It was a weakness he had never seen in his role model. The stallion stood, staring at the waves while Tithe picked up his feet to approach. As Nephiliam left the reach of the waves Tithe slowly came up beside him. His young dark eyes studied the sores on Nephiliam’s flesh and he breathed on them gently with his nose.

Bruises would hurt, so the colt was not unkind in his investigation. He understood the pain, knew what a bite and a nip felt like. What he saw on Nephiliam was more than the bumps and bruises he had earned from being a foal. They had told him he would learn how to fight, and it would hurt. Grey eyes looked at the swelling on the stallion’s shoulder. Is this what a fight would bring? Could he defend himself against this? More importantly, could he defend those around him?

”What happened?” A voice that was still young had already begun to pick up guarded tones. The strength of the shields he bore would be the barriers that helped him. Pains he knew he was sure to feel would not be seen. Even his desires, though all he desired was to help.