Expanding Horizons

by mechafone

21 - Meanwhile...

Russet Hearts watched Trixie dance her heart out. While he hadn't known her longer than this brief trip, he was quite sure that she hadn't had this much fun in a very long time. He felt a little jealous; there she was, dancing to her heart's content, sidled up with that gorgeous stallion. Russet could tell he was an athlete in every move he made, from how little he sweat despite his constant moves, his curves...

No! Russet chided himself, shaking his mane and finding something else to look at. Spark Storm had mentioned this was a vacation of sorts, but the unicorn had not signed up for relaxation and playtime. He was here on a mission, to help get Spark Storm's friend and his newfound family to Breen, and maybe to challenge himself to become stronger, more mature, and maybe find himself along the way.

Finding myself...didn't I do that a long time ago? he asked himself as he picked himself up to move away from the others and hopefully away from the crowd. I decided who I wanted to be when I was very young, despite everypony else telling me that's not what other ponies generally liked. There's only really one other in Ponyville that might understand, and even he's a little too weird. Russet sighed as he let his thoughts drift of the one stallion in Ponyville that might have understood what it was like to be...different.

---

Russet Hearts chased after the olive green stallion just ahead of him, his eyes always on the luscious blonde mane and tail of his friend. "Charming! Wait up!"

"No way!" the then-twelve-year-old colt shouted with a gleeful grin. He didn't stop until he came to one of the prettier yards near the outskirts of the town, overgrown with kudzu. A hide-out had been cleared out underneath and hidden by the overgrown plants by stallions generations passed, complete with an assembled ground floor fort. The owners were a new couple who liked to explore, so they usually weren't home, and had invited the neighborhood children to use the area outside. Charming Reflection stuck his head underneath the overgrowth, then disappeared inside.

Russet Hearts slipped inside as well, his heart pounding, but not from exertion. For the last few months, he'd gotten to know Charming Reflections. He was the only stallion that even remotely accepted the unicorn for what he was - different, unstallion-like. Russet Hearts, from a very young age, decided that he liked other stallions. This set him apart from the other stallions in Ponyville, for there didn't seem to be a single male in the whole town who felt the same as he did. And then, he met Charming Reflections.

Charming Reflections was the kind of stallion that made Russet Hearts feel comfortable. He was very effeminate, kept his mane and tail long, shiny and fluffy, and most of all he went out of his way to make Russet feel like he belonged. Charming Reflection himself wasn't very popular, and had quite a sad past. His parents were so fed up with him, that they actually gave him up for adoption. He would see his parents in town now and then, but they ignored him and pretended not to see him. Charming Reflection taught himself not to cry.

Charming's caretaker had been a blessing to him. Though his stay with Cherry Joy was very brief, she taught him that nopony could tell him how he should feel, or how to look, or what he should be doing. She taught him to embrace what his inner voice told him, and that was to be a mare. Charming Reflection became what he desired to be: transsexual, and he owed his wonderful caretaker for being able to bring so much of his true personality to surface. While he was only at the orphanage for a few months, it was a time that he never, ever forgot.

Charming turned to Russet, both colt's hearts pounding. This was it, this was what both of them had been waiting for! No adults leering at them with hatred, telling them that what they felt was wrong and under threat of punishment. Russet smiled at Charming, eyes darting from his locks of mane, to his feminine eyes, to his lips. Charming leaned in slowly, eyes closing tighter, and tighter, a subtle look of...regret?

"Wh..." Russet whispered, backing off just slightly. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Charming Reflections let out a breath of quiet relief. "I'm sorry, Russet. I can't do this."

Russet felt his heart sink, felt his stomach try to implode and stick to his spine. "Why?"

Charming sighed and tossed his mane. "I can't do this to you, Russet. It's not right, I don't want you getting caught in my game after all...I shouldn't have lead you on."

"L...lead me on? What??"

The green stallion sighed again and sank to his haunches, his mane spilling over his face in a look of guilt. "Russet, you're not the first stallion I promised a kiss to...it's...kind of like a game to me. I like boys, but I like tricking them into thinking I'm a girl. I'm not honest with them the way I am with...mostly honest, the way I am with you."

Russet still wasn't catching on. "I don't understand. If you were honest with me, doesn't that mean that it's different with me?"

"Well..." Charming Reflections was very seriously regretting his actions. "It is different with you, Russet! You're so pure, I couldn't lie to you...not about that..."

"About...'that'? You mean you lied about something else?" Russet asked. He stepped closer as Charming stepped back, the green colt's rear finding the side of the house.

"Yeah, I...I lied about...liking you." Charming braved a glance at Russet through his curtains of mane and wished he hadn't. Russet's tears fell freely, but a look of understanding was missing in his eyes, his stare blank. "Russet, look, you're a pretty stallion and I think anypony would be lucky to be kiss you, but...it's all a game to me. I like to trick stallions into kissing me, and I thought it would feel the same, but with you it just...it feels like I'm cheating. I'm cheating both of us."

---

"Russet?"

The stallion practically jumped at the sound of a mare calling his name. He turned, shaken from his memories to find Trixie standing next to him, her eyes filled with concern. "Uh...hi. What happened to your dance partner?"

Trixie smiled gently. "I can dance anytime I want, but I think my new friend could use some company. You looked so sad just now. I could not in good conscience just keep dancing after seeing that, now could I?"

Russet tried not to force a smile, and managed to partly mean it. "Thanks, Trixie, but I don't want to be the reason that you miss out with your-"

Trixie smirked and touched a hoof to his mouth. "Oh stop, he's not 'my' anything, I just met him. I met you over a day ago, and that gives you priority. You're my friend, right, Russet? I know I won't ever have your heart like the boy I was dancing with, but I can still give you my hoof in friendship."

The stallion stared, tears welling in his gaze. "You...know? And you don't care?"

Trixie mirrored Russet's expression. "Well...no, I don't. Haven't you ever met a girl like that?"

"Some, I suppose, but all of the mares that were interested in me became disgusted when they found out, or thought it was a waste of time to be friends."

The showmare felt an expression of disgust pulling at her features, but she quickly shrugged it off with a flick of her tail. "Well they just don't know what they were missing, or doing, which was hurting a pure soul." She smiled and flicked under his chin with the tip of her nose. "Such ignorance is beneath ponies like you and me. Forget the insults, remember the compliments, no matter how unequally they come. Just remember the ones that stay even when you ask them to leave. It's hard to get rid of me, you'll see."

"I...didn't ask you to leave," he responded, a grin starting to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"You implied it, didn't you?"

Russet frowned as he thought back to when she'd approached him just now. He hadn't directly asked her to leave, but...yes. He had implied he was asking for solace. His realization of this was caught in Trixie's eyes, an intelligent gleam in her eye as she gently poked his chest. "See? I may not know you very well, sir, but I think you'll see the Great and Powerful Trixie sees all."

Russet laughed and clapped his hooves delightedly. "Very good! You've definitely been practicing with your confidence."

"Speaking of confidence..." Flash Fire spoke slowly, approaching the two with a dry look. "I'm not holding much for Spark Storm getting back anytime soon, and I'm just starting to realize how little preparation was actually...prepared for this trip."

Trixie did her best not to show the disdain for this unicorn. While she'd missed the whole setting the ship (and ponies) on fire the previous night, she just didn't like the firey mare. "If you're wondering about what, if any plans that Spark had shared with us before he up and left, I'm afraid we're as in the dark as much as you are, ma'am," Russet told Flash Fire.

Flash Fire sighed, ears pinned back with a thankful bow of her head. "Yeah, I was afraid of that. Thanks, Russet." She turned and glanced back at Laser Reflex. Seeing he was now alone, she waved him over. She smirked as he approached. "Well, well, did your new lady friend get bored of you already?"

Laser sat up stiff. "Sheesh, what is it with you? You could feel that...weird, angry energy she was giving off, couldn't you? I didn't want her anywhere near me, so I did the only sensible thing I could think of and tried to talk her to death." The three unicorns stared, dumbfounded. He shrugged and sniffed at the indignity Flash Fire had attempted to hoist on him. "Worked, didn't it?"

"Yes, perhaps a little too well," Trixie said, her voice dripping with disdain. Still a little sore about me digging Flash Fire and not her, huh? he thought with equal distaste in the showmare.

Russet and Flash Fire shared a look that told them they were picking up the same dirty vibes from the other two. "Right, well...I think I'm going to see if I can find the Captain and maybe get an update on last night's...incident." The firey unicorn blushed with embarrassment and swiveled her gaze away from Trixie's inquisitive look. She had apologized enough to last a lifetime, and she answered only to Celestia. She paused. Why did she have to bring Celestia into these thoughts? Now she would be thinking about that report for days...

---

Amacia let out a sneeze and shook her head, willing this feeling to go away. Had she just been dusted? She waved a clawed hand before her face before realizing she was no longer in chicken form. She sat up in alarm, her heart pounding. She was in a dimly lit room, and she was alone. "Hello? Spark Storm? Russet?" she called. She stood from the comfortable bench she'd been laying on, finding herself in a small room.

Upon exiting, she discovered a similarly dimly lit hallway. On the door side, charcoal black hallway stretched seemingly endlessly. On the opposite side was glass, and inside the glass area was...jungle? These weren't the same island trees, either. They belonged in much hotter and more humid atmospheres. The harpy frowned in thought. What had she missed while she slept? Had the boys dropped her off in this strange place?

Amacia let out a small yelp as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned quickly, her feathers bristled with fright. She let out a breath as a bright green figure stood before her, with a mane of white with red streaks. "Hello, I am Bombyx, please don't be frightened," the nymph said gently. "You're safe. This is Mimosa Palm's bio dome, and it is a completely neutral zone. You won't find any politics here, regardless of species. We apologize for removing you from Spark Storm's person, but we had to be sure. Why are you on the island?"

The timid harpy rubbed at her temple. So this was why she wasn't still hidden in Spark's feathers? "Um...because Spark Storm asked me to? I feel like I may have missed something. I was..." she paused, collecting herself. "I had spent the entire night assisting that pony who'd been burned. What a mess that was. Um...next, I fell asleep and nestled onto Spark's back. I remember sunshine and being quite warm, but other than that, it's a bit of a haze. When did you take me from Spark...and for that matter, how??"

"Oh honestly it was about twenty minutes ago, and, well..."

Bombyx hesitated as a small sound came from behind her. A creature came into view that sent Amacia's instincts on full alert. "What...what is that??" she demanded. Was that her voice? She'd never imagined that she could be angry and fearful at the same time!

Cyno took a step away from the bigger harpy. Even without the ability to form sentences yet, the young hybrid had heard enough of lines like that to recognize hatred. He took a step back, winged arms raising to brace for what was sure to be violence. One could imagine his surprise when instead he felt arms encircling around him, and the harpy's voice shushing him gently.

Amacia ran her clawed fingers through Cyno's blue crest. Her heart ached; his initial reaction to hers had been heartbreaking. He'd expected nothing more than hatred and aggression from her, hadn't he? This was unacceptable in a child. And it was unacceptable that this had indeed been her initial feelings for him. "So, you found little old me sleeping in Spark's feathers, huh?" she spoke him, her voice soft and soothing. He chirped in response, bright sapphire eyes opening to look at her. "I'm...sorry. I don't normally act like that. You surprised me, is all."

Bombyx fought back tears. Little Cyno had done nothing but exist, and that was often enough to spark all different kinds of negative reactions from griffins and harpy's alike. Only one harpy and one griffin had been kind to him so far. And now, two harpies. "So, this is where Sohl came."

"Uh, u-uh, wha-who?" Bombyx fumbled in a panic.

Amacia chuckled as Cyno reached up to touch her face. "If Sohl came here, then she must have told you about Spark Storm, Equestria, his friends, maybe what it is that he does." She looked up at the nymph. "I was the one that traveled to her home and delivered the news that she had to return to the Heldren cliffs. According to Orea, her leaving was the worst possible-"

"Wait," Bombyx interrupted. "I apologize, but when you say Orea, do you mean my sister, and Ampelus' sister?"

"...No. I guess I don't really know how it all works, but the Orea I speak of is Spark Storm's daughter. I believe he named her after her mother, and..." Amacia brought a claw to her chin. "Again, I don't really get how it works, he's way too young to be an actual father! Hold on, you're Ampelus' sister??"

"One thing at a time, please!" the nymph pleaded, before turning around and picking up a strange-looking device on the wall, attached by a coiled wire. "Franky? Find Mimosa...I think we've discovered another of 'those'."

Amacia stiffened as Bombyx set the receiver back on the wall. "I beg your pardon? 'Those'?"

"Yes. You're not just a companion of Spark Storm's. You know Sohl, don't you?"

Amacia froze as gears began turning in her head. Spark Storm - Sohl - Cyno - and now this place. "Sohl is here. She wasn't called back to Heldren to fight...she was demoted." The harpy reached down to gently place her claws on either side of Cyno's face. "You're the key, aren't you?"

Bombyx watched sadly as Cyno climbed into Amacia's arms much the same way he would crawl into Sohl's. "Yes, he is. He is the truce between harpies and griffins. So long as he is alive, there is a ceasefire between them. Griffins and harpies both detest peace so much, that they created something they would equally hate to keep them from wantonly attacking each other. It's...it's the most barbaric thing I've ever heard of."

"It is barbaric. I can't stand being there." Amacia bit back tears of remorse. "It's why I elected to stay in Equestria and never went back. I wasn't very welcome there, anyway." The harpy stood, taking the child with her. "My skills as a healer were unappreciated, and very rarely used, and I'm...a coward."

"Coward!" Cyno parroted happily.

"Not from what I've seen."

Amacia smiled grimly at Bombyx's comment. "Thank you, but I know what I am. Spark Storm might not agree with it, but he hasn't known me long enough to make that assessment, either."

A sudden cacophony of voices and laughter put the harpy on alert. Bombyx turned to face the voices, a stressed sigh escaping her. "I can't believe I forgot...! The crew of the Sea Pearl has come to visit. When I was alerted to your presence I asked Franky to see to them. He better not have lost them..."

Franky had indeed not lost them. He appeared around the corner, speaking animatedly with the tallest unicorn Amacia had ever seen. The mare was at least as tall as Big Mac, a little taller, not counting the horn. She was lean, bright red, and sported a mid-length blonde mane. She was quite dazzling to look at, and Amacia suspected that was quite deliberate. Along with her good looks she seemed to be holding her own with Franky, speaking about gears and devices that the harpy couldn't make sense of. The tiny griffon broke off suddenly when his eyes fell on Amacia.

"Oh my lord!" he yelled obnoxiously, taking off into the air to flutter before the two females. "Bombyx, please don't tell me that you've adopted another harpy. We've already got one and that little half-pin-" Franky found his mouth sealed shut with a squirt of cottony silk from the nymph. He let out a muffled shout before ripping it off himself, spitting the remnants that had gotten inside his mouth. "Don't do that!! Why did-"

Franky turned around, a sense of dread filling him. Why hadn't he noticed this feeling before? Rossa frowned where she stood and turned to look behind her as the smaller red pony in the group filed towards the front, her eyes having fallen directly on Cyno. Amacia shuddered, her eyes filling with recognition. She had never met the assassin, but had heard of her and her description. Whether for her own protection or some motherly instinct, she wrapped her arms around the toddler. This feeling, this...absolute bloodlust was centered on Cyno for some reason.

Gabriel rounded the corner in the next moment, eyes falling upon this strange scene. He approached the mare he knew as Steel Scabbard, wings flapping once to get her attention. The light breeze against her body registered, and the bloodlust simply disappeared. She smiled and centered her attention on the pegasus. "Not a fan a' harpies, eh?"

This question delighted the assassin. "No, not really, can't say that I have a lot of...squishy feelings for 'em," she said with a giggle.

"Heh, no surprise there," he replied. He squinted, peering at the four across the hall. What was that smaller, blue creature? It looked a bit like a griffon, but it also reminded him of a harpy -

"So! Are we going sight-seeing before we speak with...'Mimalta'?"

Gabriel chuckled and shook his head. "You mean Mimosa? I suppose that depends on our guide...guides? How many of them do we need?"

Fire Lotus leered at the tiny Franky over there arguing with the green earth pony. She was getting impatient, and if they hung around too long, some of her companions might actually start asking questions, like why had she gotten so interested in the appearance of that freaky little child in the back? She hadn't been expecting that she would find him so soon. After all, Mimosa's dome was supposed to be an impenetrable fortress! To think that she would find one of her most important marks with so little effort...of course, there was the issue of making her way to Mimosa with the others and then leaving unharmed. This could prove to be tricky, after all.

"What in the name of the CLIFFS did you bring in here, Franky??" Bombyx hissed when the red mare turned her attention elsewhere.

"Probably something I'll regret," he responded honestly, and more than a bit fearfully. He hadn't thought much of the red concubine, but that look, that horrible desire to kill...he had never sensed something so dreadfully malicious, not even from a harpy, and he'd met plenty.

"Well you're going to get it if she tries something, she's on your watch! And find Mimosa like I told you, please!" The nymph scolded him mutely a moment longer before turning her attention back to Amacia, who held Cyno tightly after that mare glared at him. "I'm sorry about that. Please trust, we will not allow any harm to come to you or Cyno."

"While you're here," Franky mumbled before flitting off back to guide his group, for the moment ignoring that last bit.

Amacia took the tiny griffon's remark to heart, her heart thudding in her chest. "R...right. While I'm here. Speaking of which, am I a prisoner?"

Bombyx looked at the harpy in shock. "Certainly not, we don't take prisoners!" After the concerned look on Amacia's face, the nymph chuckled nervously. "That is...we don't imprison any person or creature here in the dome, or anywhere on the island. I do apologize for the inconvenience, but I daresay that Mimosa will probably want to speak with you."

"With me?" Amacia made a sound of discomfort as Cyno had grown bored of being held and was now trying to climb to the top of her head.

"Yes. I believe you are at least a little acquainted (we hope) to Spark Storm's little...well, we don't want to say daughter, because we don't really know how or what methods he-"

"No," Amacia said sharply. Her tone surprised Bombyx. Hadn't the harpy expressed she was a coward? "If you want to ask Spark Storm about Orea, you may do that yourself. I will not speak of others behind their backs, especially Spark Storm."

"I see." Bomby smiled appreciatively. "I do believe I am beginning to understand you, Amacia. I appreciate your honesty and fierce loyalty, and you must be truly brave to say no to-"

Amacia let out a shriek of panic as something much bigger than her lifted her up off the floor. Bombyx stared in surprise as the chicken harpy shook in fear as she was held a full five feet off the floor by a bigger, angry harpy. Cyno, unable to read the room, simply climbed down onto Sohl's arms and climbed onto her back like a feathery parasite. "You...little...shit!" Sohl's voice echoed in the hall. "Why are you here? Why is HE here?? Did you bring him all this way so he could find me? I will rip your little throat out!"

"No you will not," Bombyx interjected. She immediately wished she hadn't, with the glare Sohl sent her. "Um, please."

"Ahh...no-no, it's n-not about you!" Amacia stuttered, her feet starting to wave about. "Spark Storm is on his way to Breen. His friends need to get there to see about some changelings!"

The anger in the taller harpy seemed to dim somewhat, though she still held Amacia aloft. "What? What changelings? Didn't you hear? The kirin completely decimated their hive. Breen is crumbling under those monsters, and the last havens don't have long."

Amacia let out a pathetic whimper, tears filling her eyes. "And the griffons? Can they still help?"

Sohl narrowed her eyes sympathetically. "I don't know. A few tribes split off and got separated. A bunch of the "aberations" were seen in the valleys at the mouth of the cavern falls, but I don't know much more than that. I know a few of them came here to get away from the cruelty." Sohl sighed and slid Amacia down to her clawed feet again, towering over her. The sharp-faced harpy clenched her hands, almost touching the smaller harpy's hair, then pulled away quietly. "I don't want Spark Storm here. You know why by now. But I really don't want him going to Breen, either. He's the toughest pony I've ever met, but what's going on in Breen is too big for him."

Amacia sighed and ran her claws through her braids. "Wait," she said after a moment. "What about the Delkano?"

"Ooh," Bombyx whispered and hissed for dramatic effect, eyes darting away from the chicken harpy.

"The Delkano?" Sohl asked, as if Amacia had broken a sacred vow of silence. "Don't mention those barbarians! They were almost as bad as the kirins!"

"They're...not...now," Amacia struggled to articulate. "They've turned over a new leaf, I've seen it! They try to help others see what they themselves had become! No longer carrion and flesh hunters. The last I saw they had fled to the valley across the Phantom Mountains. I'm sure they're still there, well-hidden and protecting-"

"Shut up!" Sohl hissed threateningly. Amacia huddled accordingly. "The Delkano broke ages ago. They're farmers now, barely, if that. And those whelps they're hiding are as good as dead."

Amacia wrapped her arms around herself, head lowered. The thought of children being hunted and killed chilled her. They might have the best hiding spot in the world, but nothing could hide from the kirin forever.

Sohl rolled her eyes at Amacia's demeanor. The thought of younglings being slaughtered didn't rest well with her, either, but there was very little to be done about it. What could a handful of mismatched creatures do against an army of oppressive hatred? Never mind the fact that she had to make sure Cyno was protected, and jumping into a highly volatile situation wasn't going to help things. And to make everything a hundred times worse, she couldn't just come back into Spark's life, not after how she treated him, especially when he needed her the most. She had heard of his narrow victory against the psychic alicorn Shimmering Oasis, and the fight had left him vulnerable and weak. If only she'd stuck around...

Of course, if that had happened...Sohl gasped as she snapped out of this line of though to discover that Bombyx had apparently wandered off. How long had she been lost in thought? She glowered down at Amacia, who still stood in a position of mourning. "Hey!" she barked, hiking up the smaller harpy's blood pressure once more.

Sohl's face took on a thoughtful and sad countenance Amacia didn't know she was
capable of. "...Is he okay?"

Amacia's eyes darted back and forth, unsure if seeing the vulnerability on Sohl's face could worthy of violence. She willed herself to stare into Sohl's eyes, and found herself miraculously unharmed. Had the taller harpy let her into her circle? "He was broken for a few months. I've never seen anyone as emotionally hurt as he was."

Sohl lowered her gaze, guilt shadowing her eyes. Tears fell, plopping quietly onto the floor. "But he came back from the dark place. His heart is much stronger than it was, and I think he's just happy to be doing something for someone else."

"And...Orea?" Sohl whispered hoarsely, her voice trembling.

"She's okay. I think she was more worried about getting Spark Storm back to where he was. She misses you."

Sohl leaned back against the other wall and slid down it, hands covering her face. She let slip a quiet sob, shoulders shaking. Amacia felt shame run through her body, as harpies never cried. Seeing one weep felt like a horrible violation. "I can't feel her in my head! She's gone and it's so fucking quiet!"

Amacia rubbed at her own eyes, this moment of despair starting to overwhelm her. Her eyes snapped open as something occurred to her. How was Sohl leaning so flat against the wall? She lunged forward and shoved Sohl forward to peek through her feathers. "Hey! What are you-"

Sohl pulled away from Amacia, fully incensed, and threw a punch. Amacia caught the punch and leaned in with a glare that pushed the bigger harpy against the wall. "Where is Cyno?"

Still in a state of surprise, Sohl managed a shrug. "I dont know, he wanders off sometimes."

"He cannot wander off here!" With a feat of strength that would've shocked her if she weren't on an adrenaline kick, Amacia threw Sohl into the air down the hall. The bigger harpy twisted in the air and landed facing her assailant, poised and ready to counterattack. "Fire Lotus is here!"

"Who the fuck is that, and why are you attacking me?!"

Amacia was almost screaming now, her voice rocking the hallways and vibrating the glass separating the environments. "She was with Shimmering Oasis! She almost killed Spark Storm and his friends! And I think she wants to hurt Cyno!"

No further persuasion was necessary. Sohl turned right around and leapt into the air, wings propelling her like a dart down the hallway. Amacia turned and ran in the opposite direction, her shorter clawed feet finding the carpet provided excellent traction.

---

Romani let out a little yelp as she felt a pair of claws fumble at her backside. She turned, wide-eyed to look as little Cyno chirped up at her. "Who are you, naughty thing?" she asked with a giggle. She crouched down, letting the hybrid put his claws on her face. She giggled as he rubbed along her striped face. Suddenly, the two were not alone. Cyno let out a squeak of panic as another figure stepped in before him.

"Romani, how many times must I tell you to exercise caution?" Dendalla chided, offering a snort when the toddler lifted his claws to her. "Not everyone-"

"-We meet is a friend," Romani mocked, then smiled and nuzzled Cyno. "He is a child, not a predator. Children are friends!"

"Hey, who's kid is this?" Gabriel joked as he approached the three. The group was milling about in the jungle dome, near the ponds in the center. The ground was still a bit ripped up from an earlier altercation. Cyno even began playing with a few sharp shards of ivory teeth before a red hoof gently patted them out of his claws.

"Now now, little one," Fire Lotus whispered gently to him, drawing him a little closer. "You mustn't play with sharp objects..."

Comments

[lordofstorms2000]

It's been a while, I'll have to re-read the story again from the beginning

[mechafone]

10913623
That's the best way to do it!