to live and burn is
the most exquisite form of self destruction

In the moment of still that followed Rade's summoning, the stallion reluctantly slowed - and then stopped - his headlong flight. It was easier to run, as if the truth that he faced could be changed by the endless motion of his cold-numbed limbs. As if the violent impulse that had risen within him could be quelled by the reckless act that had all but dared the world to do him harm. Perhaps it was because physical pain would have grounded him - would have made it easier to overcome the emotional agony of seeing his legacy burned to ash.

But the world, as many others, backed down from the roan's challenge. And so he stood, whole and unblemished, while white flakes drifted down to cling to his burnished coat.

How long he remained dormant, Rade could not have known. Time was different on the isles; as ever-changing as the seasons. But suddenly a familiar golden figure was approaching the older stallion, and within the span of his next two breaths a name was exhaled from his lips. "Fiero." The boy had grown into a man since his departure, and the shock of it softened his voice. It had been easy to believe that once he'd departed from the islands, they had simply sat here waiting for him, suspended in time. After all, the palomino stallion's return had seemed to tear the years away from himself - joints that had ached were filled with a new vitality, and the ennui that had weighted his mind was likewise lifted. Rade took one step closer to his offspring, two - as if to reassure himself that the youthful vigor had not abandoned him.

From this nearer perspective, Rade noted that he stood of an equal height to his son, so that their eyes met at the same level. It felt strange, wrong, and the roan struggled against the impulse to make Fiero bow his head in submission. The boy had not wronged him yet - was, in fact, the only faithful soul remaining in this destitute place if his prompt response was any indication. And so Rade settled for a baleful glare over the physical blows he might have once resorted to in the days that impulse had ruled his every action. "What happened here?" Though the three words united to form a single question, each was punctuated by a note of seething anger - and disapproval.

"I trusted my brothers, my family to keep our home strong. I trusted you to not fail me." The syllables became more clipped as anger threatened to overwhelm the stallion, and for a few moments there was silence while he focused on inhaling and exhaling in a steady rhythm. By the time he resumed, his voice had shifted to the soft, almost-sultry tones that were adopted in times of diplomacy. "And I'm certain that you would not fail me. So give me the name of the one responsible for this, Fiero, and tell me everything you know. I will do everything in my power to make it right."

There was no mistaking the meaning behind these words, softly though they might have been spoken - a familiar hard edge could be seen in the stallion's expression, and it promised pain.

stallion . twenty-one . palomino roan . mustang mix . 15.1hh
debonaire x neassa