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The moon hung low on the horizon. Its silver beams diminished in intensity as it started to fade away, soon to be replaced by the gleaming golden rays of the sun. Their eternal dance of night waning to day once more enacted. Many souls of the Kawani lands were fast asleep during this time. The winter months having put a spell of hibernation on the larger dwellers, while smaller ones simply kept to their diurnal nature. There were a few nocturnal beings which stirred about, however, going about their nightly needs. Yet, there was one individual whom fit into neither of these categories. Ezekiel E. Vee lay awake. His back turned towards his sleeping brother whom laid ensnared by the realm of dreams. The brown pawed stallion had been unable to remain in that same land. His mind did not allow him to do so. Quick-witted and intellectual, sometimes it was difficult for Ezekiel to rest when he should. Lorcan constantly reminded him of the necessities of a good night’s slumber but, despite the truth of it, his mind did not work in that fashion. It raced and darted, trailing from one thought process to the next in the blink of an eye. When he became fixated on a subject or problem, he could not rest until he had resolved it or became learned in every aspect. Tonight was one such night.

Ezekiel sighed, his deep red orbs tracking the path of the moon. He had been studying the weather patterns around them for the past few evenings. It seemed as if a storm might arrive soon, dumping an indeterminate amount of fresh snow on the mountains. Ezekiel loved the mountains, truly. But they could be troublesome at times, especially during the winter months. There was an end in sight to the colder season, though. Within two months’ time, spring would be upon them once again and he would be able to study thunderstorms instead of snowstorms. Equally as treacherous if not careful, yet not as bothersome. The younger stallion did not know where his preference for thunderstorms hailed. As per usual, he stood apart from his elder brother in his tastes. Lorcan finding enjoyment in the fluffy white snowflakes where he found less enthusiasm. He would not say that he feared the wintry mix. Although, he could not quite place what he would say of it. His impressions on the substance stemmed far into the reaches of his foalhood. His keen mind wound down the path of his memories, attempting to pinpoint the exact moment he came to feel this way. The answers continued to elude him in the end.

“What are you doing, Ezekiel?” Lorcan’s bleary voice broke into his thoughts. Ears flicking, he turned his head towards the source. “I am simply thinking, Big Brother. I am sorry if I awoke you. Please, go back to sleep.” “Nah,” he heard the familiar shuffling of his brother’s sleep-hazed approach. The cream stallion came to a halt beside him before plopping down. “Whatcha thinking about?” An amused light entered the younger stallion’s eyes. Shaking his head, “Nothing of importance. I was merely trying to remember something. Something from when we were foals.”

“Do you remember when we were foals?” Ezekiel’s voice cut across the silence that had fallen. Lorcan’s blue orbs flicked to his brother. The younger stallion stared unblinkingly up at the heavens. The corners of his mouth curved down in a light frown as he pondered and remembered. The elder stallion hesitated for just a second then, slowly, he nodded his head, “Yeah.” He cocked his head to one side, gazing curiously at the other. “Do you remember that one night? The night we first encountered one another?” Ezekiel pressed further. Lorcan didn’t know where his brother was going with this line of questioning. What sort of questions were these? “Of course, I do! It’s sort of hard to forget the night you meet your little brother,” he scoffed, disbelief in his voice. Hearing his remark must’ve struck a chord within the brown stallion. A smile ghosted across his muzzle as he turned to face Lorcan. “I did not mean it like that, Big Brother. It is merely…merely that I think my memories that are seeping into my dreams are from that night.” “From when we found you in that cave?” Lorcan tried to keep up with his brother, uncertain of where this might be going.

Ezekiel inclined his head in the affirmative. He had been contemplating the events of that night for a longer time than he dared admit. It was the point where his memories started to fade and blur. That one night that he recalled being terrified and alone, but nothing more. Until, that is, Lorcan had arrived. The elder stallion blew out a breath. Shifting his gaze to the vast expanse ahead of them, he noticed that a light snow started to fall. Zeke always hates the snow, he observed. Hate might’ve been a strong word, though. Disliked would probably be more accurate. I bet it has something to do with that night. It had been snowing then too. A harsh and fierce snowstorm waged war on the mountains that year, making survival all the more difficult…

While Lorcan and his father were trudging through the storm, another soul also found himself amidst the raging snow and wind. Except his circumstances were far less docile… He ran. For how long he ran, he did not know. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. Regardless, he raced onward with everything he had within him. The snow-covered forest blurred into a continuous stream of white. His feet traipsed over foliage and rock alike, the former shifting to the latter in an instant. Yet he did not notice. All that the young one held in his mind was to get away. Get far away from the trauma and darkness. Flee from the gory scene which lay behind him. Images, unbidden and horrid, flitted across his mind’s eye. The lifeless forms of his family and friends haunted him. The attacker whom caught them unawares cruel and brutal in his onslaught. How? WHY?! His mind called out to the heavens. Why us?! Why now?! His mother was pregnant with her second set of foals. They were due within the next month. Then that monster... Tears distorted his vision. A few dripped from the corners of his eyes to soak his cheeks. New life that would never be. Other lives torn asunder by a singular beast.

A beast which continued his chase for the young foal even now. Ezekiel could almost sense the dank, rotted breath of the being stomping after him. Could feel it on the back of his neck. NO! He urged himself to go faster, spurred his legs into a faster pace. His father had laid his life down in a final act of protection. The young one could not let his sacrifice- THEIR sacrifice- go to waist. I must live! I cannot let it get me! Panic, true and intense, coursed through his veins while his heart thumped rapidly in his chest. He could not last much longer. The elements were starting to seep into his bones. But he refused to give in to the dreary feeling. Surely, the monster would not be able to follow him forever?! Onward he dashed. One thing driving him- survival. Eventually, the foreboding feeling diminished. Ezekiel could no longer hear the thunderous footfalls of the beast behind him. Of course, that did not necessarily mean he was safe. He continued to dodge and weave his way through the valley. Zigging this way, zagging that way, until he believed his pursuer thoroughly confused.

Ezekiel never ceased his movement. To remain still would be to invite disaster. Despite his confidence in having lost the beast, he dared not assume the best of the situation. I cannot keep this pace forever, he breathed heavily, air coming in short gasps. A stitch ached in his side. Just as he found himself faltering, fortune lit upon him. To his left, an odd distortion in the mountainside caught his attention. Glimpsing it more closely, Ezekiel was thrilled to find it the entrance of a small cave. He spent but a moment debating the wisdom in entering it. His fear of the monster weighed against his fear of the unknown residing inside of the cavern. The young foal chose the cave over certain death. Ezekiel wasted no time in ducking into the blackness. He traveled blindly along. Each twist and turn took him deeper into the system, and he hoped further away from his tormentor. Only when he came upon a natural alcove in the walls did he finally stumble to a halt. His weariness crashed over him, causing him to collapse to the ground. Faint whimpers escaped as he finally settled enough to process all that happened. Heart-wrenching sobs choked back for fear of being overheard.

Try as he might, the sobs which wracked his body refused to remain completely suppressed. Ezekiel knew the sounds he was making could be heard by anyone within the vicinity. Yet he did not care if they heard or not. He was filled with a reckless abandon at that moment. The heart-wrenching truth of what had transpired moments earlier had settled into his mind and soul at last. He was alone in this world now. No longer would he hear the voices of his father, his mother, nor his siblings. No more would he get to enjoy the warming embrace of his family or enjoy the comfort of merely being with them. The monster had seen to that. That terrible, horrible monster whose fangs had gnashed and whose claws had torn asunder the idyllic family he had been a part of. If not for his mother protecting him… Another choking sob escaped the young foal. Mother! Father! Why did it take you from me?! For it had been an “it.” Something as vicious and cruel as that being had been could not be a stallion or mare. Nobody born of this world could be so vile as that.

Ezekiel curled himself into a tight ball, attempting to make himself as small as possible in his hiding spot. The pain threatened to overwhelm. He was sure the physical scars would heal but that his mental and emotional ones would forever remain open wounds. Unable to close and mend due to the sheer nature of the trauma. His heart ached. It ached so much for the family he had lost. Why us? He found himself repeating the question in his mind. Why did it have to be us? What had we done? The answer was plain despite his asking. They had done nothing. Their misfortune had been one purely of happenstance and coincidence. The monster growled at them that it had been foraging. "And what a lovely meal I have found." Ezekiel’s body shivered and quaked violently at the recollection. Shutting his eyes tightly against the memory, he gave a quick shake of his head as if to clear it of the dire moment. He became too engrossed in his sorrows to recognize the approach of others to his hiding spot.

His reaction to the lilting voice was immediate and violent. The young foal shrieked in terror. His dark eyes grew as wide as saucers. He scurried away as fast as he could, pressing himself firmly against the rock wall. Ezekiel’s breathing quickened, growing more shallow with each breath. Panic once again overtook him. But there was nowhere for him to run or hide this time. As good as his hiding spot was, he had been remiss in examining whether it had an alternative entrance or exit in case he was discovered. Through his haze of panic, he saw the larger being’s mouth move, though he could not comprehend what was said. “Please! D-don’t hurt me! Haven’t you eaten enough of my family!?” Ezekiel wailed, his terror preventing him from realizing the two beings were not the monster he so feared.

Ezekiel’s heart pounded painfully in his chest. His blood rushed noisily through every vein within him. A thunderous roar which drowned out nearly every sound. Even his shrieks of terror were muted, dulled by his pulsing blood. The only thing he knew was panic and fear. Two emotions made all the more intense by the approach of the larger being which stood before him. “St-stay back!” He screamed as he pushed himself into a seated position, his back now flat against the rock. “Stay away!” Dark brown eyes darted about, searching, yearning for some way to escape his foes. Movement from the corner of his gaze drew his focus to it. The smaller one was departing. But where was it to go? Was it sent off to grab a weapon or perhaps to seek out more of its kin? Ezekiel’s mind raced dizzyingly with the possibilities. He did not wish to become a meal for a group of “its.” He had to do something. He had to fight back…for himself, for his deceased family.

With a surge of courage, the young stallion reared up on his tiny hind legs. His claws dug into the stony earth as he lurched forward. He closed his eyes when he struck out. He could not bear to witness his potential failure, to see his paw pass its mark only for the other being to seize it and strike. Except…it did not miss. Ezekiel’s foreleg shuddered to a harsh halt, vibrating from the impact where it landed. Flabbergasted, his eyes shot open and turned upward. They found his paw first where it still rested against the solid mass of a leg. Traveling upwards from his paw, they moved next to a darkened chest before wandering over the muzzle and finally coming to rest on the penetrating blue orbs peering back at him. The fear clouding his features intensified tenfold. He would surely perish now. “I—I—,” he stammered. What could he say? Sorry? To utter that word would be a lie. For he was not sorry. He had meant to hit the larger shape, meant to hurt him, if at all possible.

Tears welled up once more. They flowed freely down his cheeks, dripping from his chin to the ground. “P-please…don’t h-hurt me…,” he bowed his head while he pleaded. “I d-don’t want to die. Not here. Not like that.” The words gushed from him through choked sobs. The young colt did not know what had come over him suddenly. Whether it was his parted family urging him from beyond the grave or something else entirely- whichever, he could not say- he had garnered a new desire to keep living. It was likely to be too little too late, however. If this were the beast, then it would show him no mercy.

(NOTE: Anything in blue is voiced by an NPC)

The elder stallion’s ears drooped. To hear such sorrow and fear in a young voice tore at his heart strings. “Calm yourself. That’s it. See?” He coaxed the tawny brown foal whose sobs quieted considerably. Ezekiel’s chest rose and fell as the sobs wracking his body slowly died away. The words of the elder finally registered in his mind. So, they were not here to harm him? To maim and kill him for pleasure or an easy meal? Wide brown eyes stared skeptically at the other, studying him, searching for any signs of deception. There was none to be found. Now Ezekiel took the time to examine the larger stallion more carefully. He scrutinized him for any hint of blood or damage. His coat was clean, although somewhat matted from the weather, and thick. It was well-suited to the climate of the mountains, as were the paws on his feet. Ezekiel’s gaze fell upon them with great interest. Bigger than his own, they were not nearly the size he witnessed of the monster. Those were the feet of a titan with claws long and sharp, made to rip into flesh. “Y-you’re not the one,” he stated simply once his mind had managed to process everything. “You’re not the monster who killed my family.” “Aye, that I am not,” the elder stallion inclined his head, a soft smile upon his features. “A-and you’re not part of his kin?” Ezekiel had to be sure. He had to make certain. Granted, the stallion could easily lie to set him at ease, though instinct told him that would not be the case.

His heart felt heavy with the knowledge that the younger foal was going through so much. Although he did not know details, Lorcan could sense that the other had been through quite a lot. He gathered that the trauma inflicted upon the foal was of some great loss- his parents by the muttered snippets he managed to catch from the hushed conversation. At least Father's managed to calm him down some, the elder foal noted with pleasure. Hearing those anguished sobs had sent Lorcan’s fur standing on end. It was similar to what he imagined the wails of the banshees from his father’s stories might sound like. Come on, Lorcan, you have to focus. Father is counting on you to stand guard. It was a duty he took very seriously. He would not fail at it.