Along the River

Heading further along the river, the path seems to widen a bit, as if this section of the Sweetwater is extensively traveled. Behind is Kaath Falls; ahead in the distance, a tree-crowded bend in the river. Beyond that? Who knows - this river probably goes all the way out into the ocean. But with Rio gone and the leagi family far behind you, there is no one to ask -

"Hail!"

- except maybe the owner of this voice...

As it turns out, the voice belongs to another leagus, a mare vaguely resembling DarkFlayme. Save for a fiery-looking patch on her belly and chest, she is a sleek black, the inside of her furry ears pale pink and her large catlike eyes deeply, unfathomably dark. Two coppery horns curl from behind her ears, and between them is a flaming mane - literally flaming, you can feel the heat from where you stand. One long lock of normal mane is braided and falls down the right side of her face, ending just below her chest in a bright orange flame. Her hooves are the same coppery colour of her horns, and her tail is long and thickly furred crimson. She flicks her shadowy wings at you and bobs her head in a greeting.
"You've come from my family's home," says she, her voice curious. "So you've met them already?"
You nod.
"My name is Eclipse," she grins. "Sorry I didn't catch you earlier.... I was just coming back from a visit with Mother."
"Mother?" you ask.
"Flare, Dad's first mare." She grins, proudly. "You've already met Dad."
You have....? Wait: Black fur, long crimson tail, curvy horns, braid -
"You're DarkFlayme's daughter!" you say, surprised. Eclipse grins proudly.
"Yep. Firstborn of the pri~erd of Crimson Skies," says she, flicking her tail, pleased. "Mother lives in Kynn, so I never have to go far to see her."

"Kynn?"
A nod from Eclipse. "The sister-realm. They coexist on similar planes, and in the Chakaani they even overlap some. It's a strange phenomenon, but useful when you don't want to find as mage to just teleport you there. On our side it's actually visible - you can hardly miss it - but on the Kynn side you have to know where to look."
"I usually help out with that," says a second voice, emerging from the brush near Eclipse.

This new creature seems similar to Eclipse at first glance - and then when you look again, you notice that the two couldn't be further apart. This one is male, with a thick, luxurious black mane that fades into light blue, feline ears and face and a tail similar to Eclipse's in form. His tail is black, though, and tipped with what appears to be ice; and it must be, because as he nears the heat from Eclipse's mane dissipates a little. His coat and wings are pale, pale blue, faintly mottled and marblized, though it's hard to tell. His hooves and curling horns seem to be made of ice like his tailtip, and his dark blue eyes smile at Eclipse, then you.
"Take a guess who my mother was," he grins. "I'm Touketsu no Tsurara - or Touketsu of the Icicle in your tongue."
This is harder than it was with Eclipse, as he doesn't immediately appear to resemlbe any of the leagi you've met, but the marbling is familiar... as is that powerful tail...
"Aurora?" you guess.
"We have a winner." Eclipse grins. "Tou's of ShadowRoam descent and a mutate, so he doesn't resemble Aunt Rora much."
"I can shoot ice from my tailtip, much like Mom can with lightning," Tou says, showing the first hint of shyness you've seen from this exuberant stallion. "'Clips added the 'no Tsurara' part after she saw me when I was little."
"Hey, you make me sound like an old nag," says Eclipse, bumping him sideways. "I'm only a few hours older than you, bucko."
"Oh, forgive me for the unintentional insult," laughs Tou, bumping back. He grins to you. "We grew up together. Her dad is my godfather, and my mom is her godmum."
"Opposites attract, I guess," shrugs the flaming mare.
"Are you two playing around again?"

Another mare has approached from behind you. This one is as striking as her companions, a clouded, mottled dark red with golden hooves and curling horns. Her eyes are bright green with darker flecks in the depths, but it's her mane and short tail with a long tuft that catch your attention. The mane and tail are incredibly thick, thicker that Tou's it seems, and are a shifting, metallically luminescent colour like black chrome. At her ankles is a gleaming feline, also red, with green slitted eyes, a pair of tiny white horns on his head, and shiny grey and silver wings. You detect the glimmer of a nametag: Deen.
"Hey, Namarra," grins Tou. Eclipse smiles a greeting as well, and in return both of the leagi get a "Mau" from the cat at Namarra's feet.
"You aren't one of Aurora or DarkFlayme's children, are you?" you ask hopefully. A third guessing game might not go so well.
"Nope," she laughs. "I'm a child of Desert Ice, a Kynnese pri~erd."
"You didn't go with them to visit your parents?"
"Nah, I saw them more recently than Clips got to see her mom," says Namarra, smiling. "Not to mention that Shalnir and Wysp have practically adopted me."

They're an interesting trio, and after some more chatting with them, they move on towards Kaath Falls. Time for you to move on as well.... and you can always head back towards Nine Points.

From up in a tree, a gold and black-splotched flitlike creature laughs. A male with no wings, only an extra pair of functional arms, as well as ramlike horns curling from behind pointed ears, his blue eyes dance with amusement. Guess you know his opinion on humans who can't decide where to go....

Name	Eclipse	Touketsu no Tsurara	Namarra	Deen
Title	Fire Seal	Frost Seal	Hunter Caretaker
Gender	Mare	Stallion	Mare	Male
Sire	DarkFlayme	Attilla	Teikan	Wild
Dam	Flare	Aurora Borealis	Ischima	Wild
Birth Pri~erd	Crimson Skies	None	Desert Ice
Current Pri~erd	Night's Reflection	Night's Reflection	Night's Reflection
Type	Leagus			Hunter Cat
Name	Kohei
Gender	Male
Sire	Wild
Dam	Wild
Mate	None
Type	Kiezo Flit

Tárakyna (C) me, Jessica Dragontamer. Critters (C) their respective creators. Background courtesy of ABTA.