There are some things you can only learn in a storm .
He had a moment of clarity as his hooves pounded the ground, sending up small tufts of dirt and grass behind him. He was still so afraid. He spent so much time pretending to be strong, that he had never truly let himself think about the first time this had happened to him. The next thing he knew, he hit an invisible boulder, sending searing pain through the burns on his chest. He gasped, the breath knocked violently from his lungs. He didn't see what he had hit. What happened?
His legs flailed helplessly in the air as he flipped, and he barely had time to register what had happened before he hit the ground. The world seemed to flip in slow motion, and he could've sworn he saw the sun and the moon fighting for supremacy in the sky. He closed his eyes, prepared for the worst. He hit the ground, rocks and sticks digging deep into his pelt. His eyes shot open again. He let out a shaky breath and looked around. He struggled more, trying to reorient himself in relation to the ground. He didn't recognize where he was. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened. He needed to warn the others. A wildfire was no small threat, and he would rather die than let another foal go through what had happened to him. He had seen some of the younger members of the herd. They would need to leave soon to outrun the hungry flames. He pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his body rebelled against him. His front knees buckled under the weight of his body and he took a position all too similar to the one that he took before setting foot in the Peak. The air didn't seem so sweet now. He pushed himself forward anyways. His vision narrowed, and he only had one goal in mind. Find Foalain. She would be able to warn them. There was no reason for the others to listen to him, but she would listen to him, and they would listen to her.
The burns on his chest and face sent waves of pain through his body as he walked, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward. It was only when he heard the snapping of branches behind him that he thought to look around him. As he turned, he spotted the elegant 'Teke that had greeted him when he first arrived at the Ridge.
Foalain? What are you doing here?
Then, he shook his head. What was he doing?
There's--Foalain there's a tree -- I mean -- A thunder fire -- ARGH
He stomped his hooves in agitation, trying to convey the danger around him. He couldn't articulate. His breath picked up, and he started to panic. He had important information, and he couldn't share it. He was useless. Less than useless.
His breath came in shallow pants, and his vision started to swim. Foam started to form gently at the corners of his mouth as he stopped thinking. He choked on his words, before eventually spitting out the word.
Wild fire.
A deadly calm descended over the stallion, and his personality seemed to shift.
Lightning struck by where I was sleeping and started a fire. I escaped through the flames, but we need to move everyone to the river.
He quietly noted the personality shift in the back of his mind, but stored it for later. He didn't need to worry about his weird stammering habit, or the fact that he had momentarily lost control of his breathing. That wasn't what was important right now.
.