Samanayrs

Mystic of the Celestial Storms eyed Mystic of the Hallowed Earth with mild disbelief. After all, they came from noble lineage, related to the very first Song of the Rainbow twice over, as well as the third Song of the Rainbow. Noble-bred Samanayrs did not snort with disgust. Nor did they raise their voices at elder brothers, never mind twin brothers.

Of course, that was exactly what she did. Her brother was being a pompous git, and she intended to tell him exactly what she thought of him, right now, no holds barred. The normally quiet mare exploded at her brother.

“What in the world do you mean, that I need to find myself a proper stallion with a good lineage? How, by all the gods, do you get to decide what I must and must not do? I have a brain of my own, as well as my own magic, thank you very much, and I will decide what I will and will not do. Not you, you –“
Hallowed Earth broke in; his deep voice cutting off his sister’s rant, overruling whatever she had been about to say, “I get to decide for you, because our parents are not here. I am the elder of us. Therefore, I have that right.” He regarded his furious sister calmly, not revealing any emotions that were brewing inside him. “You are being unreasonable, and overly emotional. In the morning, we will begin looking for a stallion for you. Mares are not meant to wander, let alone on their own. You know the Great God’s wisdom on that subject. Now, we will continue onto that forest ahead of us, and find shelter for the night. Come.”

With that, he turned, and walked on, heading towards the forest ahead of them. His sister would follow, he knew, and come morning would be her reasonable self again. He knew that beyond the forest was the fabled Rainbow Hotsprings, where the current Song of the Rainbow held court. There he would be able to find his sister a stallion, preferably one with at least one mare already. An earth mystic like himself would be best, solid and unmoving. No air mystics, he mused to himself, they were far too flighty for him. Fire mystics had too much of a temper. No, a nice, solid, dependable earth mystic was just the thing his sister needed. Or even one of those mystical Kirins. The current Rainbow Song stallion was said to be one, and more were slowly making themselves known.

Unbeknownst to the stallion, as he calmly walked away towards the forest, lost in his own musings, his sister was not following quietly, as he commanded. Oh no, she was glaring daggers at him, and storm clouds were slowly starting to form overhead. A pissed off water mystic was nothing to be laughed at. Their parents, especially their mother, had told them stories about the gods, mystics, and all the other samanayr species. Her brother had been fascinated with the stories of earth mystics, and creation stories. He had quickly formed the opinion that earth mystics were superior to all others, and were therefore the voices of the gods. Celestial Storms, however, had been captivated by stories of different species working together, and how the world was kept in balance. Her brother’s intolerance for those he deemed lesser than himself, including their parents, had caused her to leave their birthsong, and head out to find her own place in the world. She had left with her parents’ blessings, and had enjoyed a week of relative solitude and peacefulness. Until her brother had found her. It had been three weeks of him preaching at her, and she was fed up with him.

But causing a storm at this moment would not do her any good. No, saving the storm for later would be much, much better. Reigning in her temper for the moment, she followed her brother, keeping enough distance between them that she would be able to ignore any sermons he might decide to deliver, but close enough that he thought she was obeying him and doing as he said. Instead, she plotted, noting features of the land, and the mountains that grew up beyond the forest. It was a good thing that her brother’s magic dealt with growing plants, and not dirt and stone. She’d be able to hid in the mountains from him, and live her own life. Find her own mate, instead of one that her brother deemed “suitable”.


Soon after reaching the forest, they found a clearing her brother deemed acceptable, although not perfect. Of course not. Nothing was ever perfect enough for him, Mystic of the Celestial Storms complained to herself in her head. Had she spoken out at all, even under her breath, her brother would demand to know what she was talking about. Food was gathered in silence, and dinner eaten. Soon after, she informed her brother that she was heading to the nearby steam for a drink of water, ignoring his huffing and orders that she return immediately after she had drunk her fill. Once there, she put her plan into motion.

A gentle rain started to fall as the sun slipped behind the trees, encouraged by the water mystic. Her brother immediately dove for the shelter he had made her help build. Unbeknownst to him, water was also seeping up from the ground, slowly, slowly turning the ground underneath into mud. He would wake up wet, and covered in mud. Watching from the trees, she shook her head, “You always hated getting wet, didn’t you? Good luck staying dry tonight.” With that, she turned, and headed back to the river. Rain would confuse the plants, making it difficult for her brother to track her by them, but it wouldn’t be impossible. With that in mind, she took to the stream.

It burbled cheerfully around her ankles, sometimes rising as high as her knees, but never touching her belly. Occasionally she had to scramble over large rocks, sandbars, or even revert back to the grass on the side of the stream, as she had to once to climb around a waterfall. Periodically, she would send her magic out into the clouds above, boosting their capacity for rain, and increasing the amount that fell, especially over the clearing her brother was sheltering in. By now he would have discovered the holes left in the roof, and the leaves that she had bent to direct the water right into the spot he had decided to sleep in. Even better, he would have used his magic to direct the plants in the area to weave themselves into a “proper” shelter for him, thereby forcing himself to stay in the area in order to keep his shelter secure. With his magic based on plants, and not soil and rock, he wouldn’t realize that the earth under him was slowly turning to morass, not until he went to go looking for her. He might even get stuck in it!

Night fell, just as she reached an island in the middle of the stream. About to settle down for the night underneath the large bush that occupied most of the island, she heard a bark, and then another bark, from the bank right behind her. Spinning around, she placed her back against the bush, and attempted to stare down the Oquiesa, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Her water magic might be able to give the creature a bath, or make a temporary wall of water in-between them, but that wouldn’t stop it for long. Taking a deep breath, she started to gather her magic, preparing to defend herself, and abandoning the magic that had encouraged and nurtured the storm above.

A voice stopped her, calling out. It sounded exasperated, and the oquiesa on the bank turned towards the voice, tail waving madly. It barked again, and a mare soon popped into view. As soon as she saw the oquiesa, she started scolding, “Honestly Pyro, I told you not to run off into the woods! What has gotten into you, hmm? What in the world made you run off like that?” Mystic stared, open-mouthed as this mare continued to talk to the creature. It had dropped into a lying down pose when the mare had appeared, and was now on its back, tongue hanging out as the mare ruffled its belly fur.

Shutting her mouth with an almost audible snap, she cleared her throat. “I believe your friend there was coming after me,” she spoke up, causing the mare’s head to snap around, and stare at her. The silent stare-down went on for a few moments, until the oquiesa rolled over, and proceeded to give a long, wet, slurpy lick to the side of the mare’s face. The squeal from the mare caused the oquiesa to jump backwards and drop its forequarters onto the ground, tongue lolling out of its mouth. Shaking her head, the mare glared at her companion, “Sit. Stay put, and no moving, understand?”

With that, she jumped into the water, and proceeded to splash over to the astonished Mystic. “Sorry about that! I’m Ember of the Whispered Flame, and that goofball over there is my pet oquiesa, Pyro. My mom’s oquiesa found him for me when I was a foal.” She grinned at that, clearly enjoying the shock on Mystic’s face, and waiting for her response. With a brief shake of her head, she recalled herself to the present, and her manners. “I am Mystic of the Celestial Storms. I apologize for intruding onto your song’s territory. I –“

“Oh, no worries!” Ember interrupted. “My parents enjoy having visitors, we get a fair number from those traveling to and from the Hotsprings!” she giggled then, “Usually they come in through the front though, and not through the back! Come on, I’ll show you the way to the main hotspring! It’ll be a much more comfortable place to spend the night!”

Mystic wasn’t given much choice in the matter after that, as Ember led her through the woods, chattering cheerfully about the hotsprings, her family, and her pet, Pyro. She learned that Ember had been on her way back from the Hotsprings, having competed in a haunted race there the other day, and had run well enough to come in third! She showed Mystic the hairclip she had won. “And foals that I have will be born with the perennial trait, only it will be a pumpkin stem instead of a flower, “she giggled. “I’m not sure that I’m all that ready to settle down yet, but when I do, it’ll be with a stallion that knows how to have fun! No fuddy-duddies for me!” A bit more thoughtful, she added, “They’ll also have to get along with Pyro, too. I wouldn’t give him up for anything!”

In this manner, they continued on the worn path through the woods, Ember chattering away, and Pyro chasing squirrels among the trees. Mystic had to keep corralling her thoughts back to the present, instead of letting them run away with her. One thought stayed in her mind, of what her brother would think of the company she was keeping. He wouldn’t believe that she was walking through the woods in the company of an oquiesa, and thus wouldn’t believe the plants when they told him that she came this way. It was perfect.

Ember’s parents were all that she had made them out to be, warm and welcoming of a total stranger. The open hotspring by the main path had had several samanayrs and kin relaxing in the warmth of the water, and several of them had congratulated Ember on her third place win. Pyro had caused a wary look or two, but it was obvious that this close to the Rainbow Hotspring pets such as him were not that uncommon. Ember had greeted the others, and chatted with them for a few minutes, before excusing herself and Mystic from the resting samanayrs, and led her past the hotspring, deeper into the forest.

Mystic soon found out that the reason for nonchalant attitudes about oquiesas in general at this hotspring was the fact that this song had two. Ember’s mother was sitting farther back along the path, watching the open hotspring, a massive oquiesa lying on the ground behind her. She quietly greeted her daughter, and nodded her head to Mystic, before resuming her watch over the hotspring.

“Come,” Ember urged. “My mother will join us later, when they fall asleep. My father is expecting you.” She led the way deeper into the woods, along a twisting path. Glancing back, she continued, “Sorry for the twisting path. My father likes to keep the open hotspring and our hotspring separate. Travelers aren’t usually welcomed back here.”

They rounded the final bend, and Mystic had to sigh with delight. The hotspring was beautiful, and big, with several tiers of gently steaming water shining invitingly in the moonlight, fireflies twinkling as they flew about. A somewhat burnt log rested off to the side, with a somewhat smallish mare curled up next to it. Mystic blinked, trying to figure out how the log had managed to bend outward, and partially cover the mare. Then the knob at the top of the log moved, shifting up and turning towards them, and shining black eyes and red-yellow mystic strands came into view.

The ‘burnt log’ folded his wings back then, and stood, stretching slightly before coming over to greet his daughter and her guest. “Welcome Mystic. I’ve been following your progress since you entered our woods. Quite an imaginative use of temper,” he chuckled. “Now, let my daughter tell me her news that she is nearly bursting with.” With a nod at Mystic, he led his bubbling daughter off, listening to her chatter, his rumbling voice occasionally asking her questions and making comments. The Mystic watched them go for a moment, missing her own father and mother at that moment.

“He is so good with his daughters,” a quiet voice spoke at her side. Startled, Mystic looked over, and down slightly. She was shorter than most, but this mare was even smaller. The mare smiled and nodded, “Come, relax in the hotspring while he hears her news of the day. He has heard it already from the visitors in the open hotspring, but he always indulges his daughters.” She led the Mystic to the closest level of the hotspring, and sighed happily as she eased herself in. Bemused, Mystic followed, and nearly gasped at the temperature of the water. It was hot! Glancing over at the mare, she was surprised once again to see a knowing smile. The mare laughed softly, “He always makes it near boiling. He cannot stand the cold, my Flame. I am Glimmer of Tranquil Peace, lead mare of this song. Ember’s mother is second mare, Whisper of the Earthbound Parakeet. Our stallion is Mystic of the Flame’s Embrace.”

“Now, I can see that you are bursting with questions. Tell me your name, and ask.” Mystic’s mind went blank for the moment, overwhelmed by all that she had seen and been told. One question, or series of questions, immediately made themselves known, and she forced herself to give her name before asking, “I am Mystic of the Celestial Storms, and I have water magic. Your stallion though, he is a fire mystic, right? How does he heat the water then? I thought that fire mystics could only deal with fire!”

Another soft laugh was her answer, “Aye, and he does deal with fire. The Sharian that enlarged this hotspring for us modified it, so that we can heat some of the water to higher temperatures. It then mixes with water from the natural hotspring. Extra water then drains off, and returns to be heated. ‘Tis quite convenient in the winter!”

“How did he know I was here? How was he following me? Will I be safe here from –“ she shut up then. No need to tell them about her brother, and his high-handed ways. No, she had given him the slip, hopefully, and would be on her way in the morning without him finding her.

“Ahh, yes. He sent his pet firebird out to survey the forest. He’s a sensitive creature, and you were broadcasting your emotions enough for him to pick them up. He was intrigued, and followed. Wait a moment, and I will call him, and my pet firebird as well, who is his mate.” A moment of concentration and two forms fluttered down from the nearby trees, before picking their way closer. A golden form chirruped and burbled at the mare, and she leaned out of the hotspring to nuzzle her. The somewhat large brown and red creature just stared at Mystic, his wings mantled slightly, and sparks starting to show at the edges of wings and tail.

“Hush Zair,” the deep voice rumbled once more, as its owner entered the hotspring. “She will do no harm, and is here for sanctuary.” To his mare he added, “Ember has gone back to join her mother, and socialize with others her age.” Turning back to Celestial Storms he continued, “So. We have much to discuss, you and I. You started to ask Glimmer earlier if you would be safe here. Safe from what, or who?” He waited patiently, as Glimmer nuzzled her stallion, and quietly left the hotspring. His eyes followed her, the golden creature trailing after, continuing to talk to her mistress. With a nudge, Zair followed, though not without a few whistles to the stallion. When she was gone from view, dark eyes turned back to Celestial Storms, and the voice rumbled out again. “Well?”

Celestial Storms tried to speak for a few moments, and could not find the words to explain. Dark eyes softened, and the bass rumble spoke again, “Hush child, you need not fear. I suspect I know much of your story, but I would like to hear it from your own mouth.”

Gulping, she nodded, and attempted to organize her thoughts. Once she had, her story started to pour out, halting at first; then as it became easier, the words tumbled faster and faster, until she ran out of words. Unable to say anything more, she looked over at the stallion, and waited for his verdict. Dark eyes stared unblinking out over the hotspring, and occasional ear twitch as he digested her words the only movement he made.

Finally, he turned to her, “It is fortunate that Glimmer’s brother is in the area. He will send your brother packing, and make it impossible for him to follow you. As for yourself, you might want to consider heading to the Rainbow Hotsprings. You will find sanctuary there, and be able to live your life as you please. If not, you may stay here for a time, until you are ready to move. Forgive me, but somehow I do not think you would be content to stay here as another mare in my song.” He grinned then, teeth flashing, “Water and Fire do not mix often, eh? We are able to chat like this, but to live? No. It does not work out usually. So, what would you like to do?”

Celestial Storms stared at the stallion for a moment, unused to the brisk and matter-of-fact way that he spoke. A brief shake of her head set her thoughts into motion, however. “You are right; I don’t think I would be happy here. It is a wonderful hotspring, marvelous even, but it does not seem like home to me. And I would miss star-gazing,” she added, glancing upwards. “And I don’t think I want to go to the Rainbow Hotsprings; my brother will most likely end up there. I don’t want to see him again anytime soon.” She hesitated for a moment, then continued on, softly, “I’d love to head on towards the mountains, to be honest. So much open skies, and the ability to just be alone for days on end.” Celestial Storms fell silent for a moment, and then continued, “Forgive me for asking, but how will your mare’s brother be able to deal with mine? She doesn’t look very big, forgive me for saying so.”

He let out a bellow of laughter at that, “No, you are right! She is petite, for a regular sam, isn’t she, despite being the eldest of the three. Her brother is not much bigger. Their younger sister got the lion’s share of the food, simply because she bullied the two elder ones.” He grinned then, “She is a triplet, you see. As far as we know, the only set of triplets ever born! As for her brother being able to handle yours, well, their sister was a sa’krien. He learned some interesting tricks to keep his favorite sister safe from the jealous younger one. He will be able to handle your brother, him and his mares.”

She stared at him in shock, “Your mare is part sa’krien?! How –“

“How could I form a song with her? Very easily. She is a gentle creature, and has none of their tendencies. Aside from being protective now and again,” he grinned. “I have met her father too, the sa’krien. He is an outcast, and while he is a sa’krien, he is not typical of his kind.” His chuckle echoed across the water, “Very atypical, in fact!” His expression then sobered, “Your brother will be taken care of, and I will know when. Ember’s aunt is part of the song, and they are very good about helping those that need it. If the song was not full, I would suggest going there.” He stood then, and ruffled his feathered wings.

“Come, it is late, and you have much to think on. Sleep now, and I will help you figure out where to go tomorrow.” With that, he left the water and, waiting until she scrambled out to follow him, led her back into the trees for the night.