Mighty Protection, Gentle Love

[bullseye14]

Zora paused, watching the three foals thoughtfully, wondering how the little chestnut colt felt about his lifestyle. He probably didn't know what he was missing out on by living life wandering, putting as much distance between danger and himself. Would the little play session bring to him the realization that a herd life was much more relaxed? The roan draft wasn't sure she could stand to see him leave, doomed to such a terrible life. "Do you think it would be easier for you and Fire if you had somewhere stable to live? I mean, this Dagger surely wouldn't suspect that you would, you know, settle down, right?" She knew it was ridiculous, inviting danger into her territory, but Zora trusted Guilo's ability to defend herself and the two foals.

Joyous lowered her head and threw her back hooves into the air mid-run. Who cared if she wasn't winning? This was fun! More fun than she had had her entire life! These two colts sure knew foal play. Her parents had always tried, but had never been very successful. Feeling almost victorious at the realization that she would never again have to make do with adult play, the black filly slid to a stop and rose into a rear, boxing at the chilly air with her draft hooves. With a loud whinny, she wheeled to face the two colts, a challenge in her eyes. "Come and get me," she seemed to say. The three would likely wear out soon, but after some milk and a short nap, they would be right as rain and ready to go again.

[Swede]

Smoke watched Zora thoughtfully a moment. It was difficult to tell what this gentle giant was thinking- clearly nervous, but not dropping any clear hints asking them to leave. Looking at Fire, she wondered if perhaps it was safest for them to stay here. Or, at least, better for his future. Roaming alone, hiding from everyone they might, he would grow up to be an antisocial stallion, difficult to deal with. Self-absorbed. Blowing out through her nostrils, Smoke tossed her head and responded, ''A stable life as members of a herd is always ideal. It is how horses are created, and any other way isn't natural. Dagger thinks I am dead, and Fire with me; if I had not fooled him into believing that, we would never have made it this far. Traveling is always a safer path if you want to hide, but I suppose that in this situation the benefits of remaining in one place outweigh the risks. And leaving only takes a moment, if it becomes necessary.'' Of course, it would only be necessary if Dagger or one of his associates showed up, in which case it was too late; in that case, she would have to hope it was a horse who did not know about her, the lowly captive, and that she would be able to take Fire away discreetly without arousing suspicion.

Fire cackled, and accepted Joyous' challenge eagerly. Rearing up on his spindly hind legs, he whinnied shrilly, his confident cry only a ghostly shadow of any adult stallion's scream, and charged forward, making a rush straight at the filly. He was quite intent on bowling her over, and thoroughly enjoying this play. Mother had never played with him- only hurried him along, told him to be quiet, told him to stay close and quit spacing out. Hmph! He didn't even mind the cold, though the burst of air coming from his nostrils crystallized into fog.

Torch leaped after Fire, but stopped abruptly after a few steps. Clouds enveloped the sky, clouds that had arrived without him noticing them. He frowned, tentative, and sidled over towards Zora. ''Mamma,'' he said quietly with concern, ''Mamma, why are the clouds falling? Are they hurt?'' This was just terrible; what sort of monster would be so cruel as to shred the delicate clouds and send them floating sorrowfully to the earth?

[bullseye14]

Guilo watched on, a mere spectator to the world of mares and foals. Zora seemed to have settled down, her nerves calmed by something the black mare had said. The draft stud continued to listen, though he wasn't as thorough as before; his eyes wandered across the territory, watching for any new developments; with each outward breath, a puff of crystallized air burst in front of his muzzle. The giant's coat had grown thick and fluffy with the cold weather, stripping it of its shiny luster, but giving him an extra layer of insulation. The chill sent shivers of energy coursing through his muscular form, his mind begging him to move some. 'Just go for a little gallop.' But his role as the lead stallion was to stay put and ensure his herd's safety; especially when there were strangers in its midst.


Zora had barely noticed the winter chill on the air. Her focus had been the conversation and the foals. In fact, it wasn't until Torch asked his innocent question that she looked up at the cloudy sky and was shocked to see the snow drifting towards her. In that one moment, the roan mare was enveloped in more emotions than she would ever admit to. This was her first winter as a mother, which meant the typical survival would be made extra difficult. Icy conditions made for slips and falls if horses weren't careful and foals, she knew, were never careful. In fact, she suspected Joyous and Torch would find entertainment in skidding about on the slippery ground. But snow was such beautiful weather; so graceful, fluffy and silent. However, if she invited Smoke and Fire to stay with the herd -with Guilo's approval, of course- her little family would likely be trapped with them, for better or for worse. At least until winter had run its course.

With a loving smile, Zora looked back to the innocent palomino colt, eager to banish the horror on his face. "The clouds are just fine, dear. In fact, they are so fine, so happy, that they wanted to share some of their wonderful world with us; the clouds are giving us snow!" The mare spoke with as much excitement and joy as she could muster. No matter winter's danger, it would do no good to start Torch off with a fear of snow.


Delighted that he'd accepted her challenge, Joyous rose into another, smaller rear. She let another whinny burst from her throat as she landed, staring Fire down and waiting for him to get closer. But sheer energy and joy pushed her to move. 'Don't just stand there! Get him!' encouraged a voice at the back of her mind. Giving another buck, she charged toward Fire, intending to meet him halfway. Of course, the draft filly didn't know what she would do when she got to him and only realized that when she was just about to hit him. With as much speed and agility as she could muster, the black filly swerved to the right just in time, cackling the entire way. She thought herself mighty clever for tricking her chestnut playmate, if a trick was indeed what she pulled.

[Swede]

Torch looked doubtfully at the sky once more, but then his face broke into a cheerful smile. ''Oh, good,'' he said happily, ''I don't want them to be sad.'' A snowflake touched his nose, and he widened his eyes. ''It's good that they are happy, but they don't have to be so cold...'' His winter coat was lighter, a buttery yellow, as opposed to the golden copper tone he would attain come spring. He had grown quite a bit during his time here, and would be a yearling by summer. But he was still quite a bit smaller than Joyous, and always would be; he had not even caught up to Fire quite yet, in size.

Fire slid right past the filly, and spun to a halt, fuming. How dare she! And the thin layer of snow already settling on the ground made it so slippery. He sneezed, snow tickling his nostrils, and choosing to take out his irritation on Torch, rolled his eyes and said haughtily, ''The clouds aren't happy, stupid. They're not alive, they don't have feelings.'' He didn't have anything against the palomino; but Fire was at an immature age where he felt he had to take out blame on someone else, and Torch was the only one he could do it on. The rest were all older and larger, and it wasn't safe to mess with those types.

Smoke snorted roughly at her son. ''Leave him alone, Fire,'' she ordered him. Lowering her muzzle to the ground, she whuffled at the wilted grass, nibbling at the blades purposefully. The snow was thickening, heaping upon the ground, and she wanted to eat her fill now before she had to dig much later. Smoke might have been a harsh, angry mare, but she was practical-minded. For a moment, her thoughts flitted nervously to her sister, Ivory. Dagger had fallen for her lie, hook line and sinker, and abandoned her, but Ivory had seemed almost...doubtful... Of course, she hadn't shown any sort of reaction other than to mock Smoke for being weak and doomed to die of slow starvation or torn down by predators, so perhaps there was nothing to fear. No doubt Ivory had already forgotten she ever had an older sister.
Looking up, Smoke watched the playing foals for a moment. Zora's filly, her own spirited Fire, and that palomino colt. Fire and the palomino were of extraordinarily similar build, although Fire was somewhat bigger still. It reminded her of how few such golden horses there were in the old lands- and the only one she knew of who was so near such a coppery tone was that Strath mare she had glimpsed once, while a captive. Come to think of it, there was no way he was Zora's colt. ''Where did you pick him up?'' she asked, still watching the foals, one ear flicking in the other mare's direction.

[bullseye14]

Feeling haughty, Joyous lifted her head high and pranced about enthusiastically. This time, she was the victor. It felt good to "beat" the little fiery chestnut. Grinning, the black filly turned to look at her brother. Torch had grown drastically since she first met him, but still looked small and fragile in comparison to the rest of the horses in the vicinity. His fluffy, buttery coat made it so that he'd found it easier to play hide and go seek throughout the winter; everyone always knew where Joyful was. Her daddy said she was beautiful with her dark coat, but she didn't always believe him. After all, what was beauty when you couldn't fool the seeker for even ten seconds?


Zora's focus had wandered to an owl perched on a nearby tree. It was watching them with its large, yellow eyes, seemingly contemplating the equines below it. The roan mare stared back, wondering what it was thinking, where its home was and what it wanted of them. What if she walked up to it? What would ha-- Wait, Smoke was talking to her. Zora turned to face her fellow mare. "Pardon? What's that?" Zora's gaze flickered to Torch and Smoke's words replayed in her mind. "Oh, the colt! Well, he was brought to me by his sire," she lied, breaking eye contact. "His dam died shortly after his birth. I guess it was too much for her..." Trailing off, Zora sought out Smoke's eyes once more. She wasn't a very good liar - something she hadn't thought about when taking the palomino colt on. "A stallion can't nurse a foal, so we took him on. It's been good for him, being raised with Joyful, I think. And Fire has certainly proved to be beneficial." The draft mare turned away again, trying to act like it was no big deal.

[Swede]

Smoke brought her gaze away from the foals, regarding Zora long and hard. ''I see,'' she said, finally. ''Then I suppose his father is around? Or did he choose to abandon his son?'' She snorted softly. It was a flimsy, vague story, though still perfectly believable, if it hadn't been for Zora's obvious nervosity. ''He's a fine colt,'' she said abruptly, looking back at the young ones, and added almost as an afterthought, ''He reminds me of someone I met once. Aurelie, her name was. Her coat was the same, and her shape.'' She did not really believe that this colt had anything to do with the old lands, but it was a striking similarity. But her homeland was so far away, that a young foal would never make the journey, and in any case no one ever left the valleys. It simply wasn't done; though not exactly forbidden by law, it was taboo and could leave you an exile if you tried.

Torch shook his head, blinking a little. He was quite sleepy, after so much excitement and frolicking about. Fire picked on him, quite a lot, but he didn't mind. He felt sure that the chestnut colt was really a nice horse, and it was fun to have another foal to play with. Looking up at the sky, he smiled to himself. I don't care what Fire says. I think the clouds do have feelings. And now they are happy. But the sun must be lonely... does winter last forever? He had never seen a full turn of the seasons, and hardly remembered the little spring he had experienced, having been born so late.

Fire glared sullenly at the filly. Flouncing about like a moron... she probably had cooties or something. The thought filled him with horror. Fillies could be quite dangerous, really. Swishing his tail, he glanced about for a distraction. Finding none, he turned his attention back to Torch. ''Hey!'' he shouted. The palomino colt looked up, smiling happily. ''What's with the face? You look like you're about to fall asleep. You better not start drooling,'' Fire taunted. He was the kind of colt who could be quite tired, but did not notice, and therefore became crabby instead.

ooc:: Is it just me, or are there a lot of F's in Fire's bit? More than in a usual post, I mean...

[bullseye14]

"What? Oh, yes, his sire left once he turned the colt over to me," she said, glancing again at Smoke briefly. "Not much of a stallion to abandon such a young colt in such a manner. His own colt nonetheless. But some stallions just aren't cut out to have a family, you know?" Zora knew she was doing terribly. The fact that she was shifting her weight from one side to the other surely wasn't helping her sell her story, but she couldn't stop herself.


"Yes, he is a fine colt." Guilo walked up behind the two mares. His job was mostly to hang back, but he felt like involving himself in this conversation. The whole story was still somewhat unclear to him, but Zora had managed to share snippets with him, brief bits that gave him an insight into Torch's past. "He'll make a fine stallion too, I think. I daresay the herd has done a fine job of shaping him," the draft stallion continued. "He and Fire are turning out nicely. They've taught each other quite a lot, I think. There's nothing like foal play to teach foals life lessons."


Seeing Torch's weary expression made Joyous realize her own exhaustion. The happy little triumvirate spent most of their time playing, but sometimes needed to stop for a rest. Being a yearling, Joyous had more energy than when she had first met Torch; a fact that she had not observed, but her parents had. However, it was all that she could do to keep up with the two colts sometimes. They rushed about, play-fighting the majority of the day, sometimes leaving her in the dust. For the most part, she didn't mind, but occasionally wondered if they might slow down and turn to look for her.

With a heavy sigh, she lowered herself to the ground, not three whole feet away from Torch. "I'm tired," she said with a yawn.

[Swede]

Smoke stared at Zora. The draft was awfully nervous. However, she knew that she herself had quite a few secrets she would rather keep hidden, and decided that she would probably find out sooner or later anyway. Providing that there was something to be found out, of course. Snorting, she flicked an ear in Guilo's direction. ''I'm sure he will be,'' she said politely. ''And no doubt Fire has learned much from him.'' She gave Torch a short glance, and then focused her gaze on her own son. It was about time he learned a thing or two about the real world, not this idyllic family life, this fun and games fantasy. Fire was of pure Dalt blood, that at least she had been able to give him. One day, she would have her revenge. Smoke was only a mare, but when Fire reached adulthood, he would be a force to be reckoned with. He already had a determined streak; when he learned about the injustices committed against his mother, his family, and his home herd, there would be hell to pay. And it was the Strath who would be paying.

Torch ignored Fire; he was too sleepy to bother picking a fight. Instead, he took a couple of slow steps closer to Joyous, flopping into the grass beside her. ''Me too,'' he mumbled, twitching his ears in an attempt to stay awake. But his head sank lower to the ground, resting on his knees, and soon he had dozed off, twitching his ears occasionally in the gentle midday sun.

Fire snorted, watching the other two foals expectantly. What, had they gotten tired already? The colt found this quite dull. He would simply have to play by himself, then. Flicking his tail, he trotted about the fields, weaving in and out of trees. A log here, a bird's nest there, the world was full of fascinating things if you only knew where to look. He overturned a rock with his nose, but found nothing of interest beneath it. Looking up again, he nearly fell over in surprise. Standing three feet away was a stranger, a night-black stallion. No, there were two of them; another one waited just behind the first. The former opened his mouth to speak, but Fire found his senses and galloped off. ''Mamma!'' he shouted, bursting into the clearing, ''Mamma, there's someone there!'' He shot behind Smoke's tail, peering out nervously. He had quite forgotten his independent exterior, and was now thoroughly frightened.

Antares sighed in frustration as the foal took off. ''Geez, I wasn't going to eat him,'' he muttered. ''Come on, we should follow him. He'll go straight to mummy, now won't he, and mummy is probably back with a herd. If it's not the group you're looking for, they'll know where they are at any rate.'' Cormorant nodded at his newfoud companion, too weary to speak. He shifted slightly, wincing a little. Rysen's cronies had given him quite a hiding.

[bullseye14]

Joyous snuggled into the familiar warmth of her brother with a contented sigh. Another yawn forced its way from her weary throat. Playing and exploring were fun, but the restful reverie of sleep was a welcomed reward after a long day of physical activity. The black filly's eyelids had just fluttered to a close when Fire burst into the herd, shouting for Smoke. Joyous snapped to attention and clumsily struggled to her feet, heart racing. Her nostrils flared and ears swiveled as she looked for the source of the trouble. What had happened? Who did it? It wasn't her, she knew that.


Guilo perked his ears up and looked around calmly, not seeing the source of Fire's distress, but not doubting him either. Foals were known for going out of their way to get attention, but these three had never bothered with such trickery. They were nearing the point of independence as well - a time where they wanted to get away from their parents, not come running to them. The Shire stud scented the air and listened to his surroundings with interest. A few moments after beginning his inspection, he discovered it, an unfamiliar scent. Or was it two?


"Guilo, dear, what is it?" Zora asked, approaching her foals. "Who is it?" Without looking at her, her mate stated, "Stallions, I think." With his response, she strained her ears and flared her nostrils, seeking the information Guilo had. It took her slightly more work than it had taken her stallion, but she managed to find the scent he was referring to. She couldn't tell the quantity of stallions, but one of them carried a sense of familiarity. It was like she had met him before... Zora had not encountered many stallions without Guilo, though and he didn't seem to remember the scent. That was when it clicked. "Cormorant!" she exclaimed.

[Swede]

Antares strode forward, easily tracing the panicked colt's hoofsteps through the dew-laced grass in the shade of the trees. ''Hmph,'' he muttered goodnaturedly, ''Bloody bugger's quick. Shame, he could have shown us the way.'' The two stallions quite soon reached the edge of the trees, where Antares paused. ''That your bunch over there?'' he asked his companion. Cormorant merely nodded, eyes quickly spotting Zora. The large stallion must be the Guilo she had spoken of, and Joyous wobbling sleepily beside them. Torch? His heart skipped a beat, and then relaxed when he caught sight of the glimmer of gold in the grass. He did not recognize the other mare, behind which hid the colt they had frightened in the trees. Sighing, he walked forward slowly, Antares now falling in a few lengths behind him. Then, when he had come within a dozen yards, he stopped out of courtesy. ''Hello, Zora,'' he called faintly.

Fire stared at the newcomers. Who did they think they were, barging in like that? A vague recollectio of himself not only walking in, but galloping in at full steam and charging towards the other foals, surfaced in his mind. Oh. Well, that had been different. Right? He sensed his mother stiffen slightly, and looked up curiously. Smoke was watching the newcomers intently, completely disregarding Fire's fear. The colt frowned. What good was it to be frightened when no one comforted you? Resolutely, he stepped forward beside her. Not very far away, but he wasn't hiding behind her anymore. Despite the mere inches that separated him from his mother, he still felt quite isolated. Glancing at Torch, Fire realized that the palomino colt was still asleep. The chestnut shifted smugly. He would have such a wonderful story to tell, and Torch would have missed all the action.

Smoke flicked an ear briefly in Fire's direction, and then back towards the strangers. Or were they really all so foreign? The younger stallion was completely alien to her, but there was something vaguely familiar about the older one, the beat-up horse in the front. It was clear he was familiar with Zora, but she wondered whether the others in the herd had ever met him. While he did not act hostile, Smoke was still uneasy. She didn't like him, and though she was not yet certain why, hopefully she would either find a good reason to dislike the stranger, or find herself just being silly.

[bullseye14]

Zora had mixed feeling about Cormorant's reappearance. He was a wonderfully noble stallion and so she was naturally glad to see him, but the possibility that he had come to take Torch back dampened her enthusiasm. It wasn't that she didn't trust him to care for the little golden colt. Far from that, in fact. But the mare had naturally grown an attachment to the colt after nursing him and nurturing him for so many months. And yet, maybe he wasn't coming to take Torch at all - what if he had come to say that they were in trouble? Maybe someone had discovered where Torch was?

With a smile and a nod, Zora greeted the black stud. "Cormorant." He looked weary, ragged and pained, she thought. Was that blood she saw staining his ebony coat in places? Her eyes wandered to the other stud, who appeared to be haughtier and younger. The roan mare nodded to him courteously before turning back to Cormorant. In a few steps, she had reached Torch's side and was standing by him protectively. "Is everything alright?" she asked in a half-whisper.


Throughout this entire situation, Guilo's main role had been as spectator and protector. He understood Torch's past to a certain extent, but not nearly in the way that Zora did. Nonetheless, he had assisted Torch on his way to being a stud to be proud of and, thus far, had uttered no objections. He did not feel discontent with his herd in any manner, nor did he intend to disrespect the wishes of his mate, but the large black stud wasn't able to contain his opinion any longer. This time, two stallions had walked into his territory without identifying themselves. This time, they were friends. Next time? Well, between Smoke's past and Torch's, next time, they could be foes.

Announcing himself with a low nicker, Guilo stepped up to Joyous' side, buffering her gently with his nose. She took the hint and scuttled behind him, peeking out at the goings on. "Well met, Cormorant," he greeted. "Welcome to our humble territory." He sought out eye contact from each stallion at a time and waited for their reactions.

[Swede]

Cormorant nodded to Zora briefly in acknowledgement. But before he could speak to her, it was necessary to greet the stallion, the leader of this flock. Bowing his head, he answered, ''My thanks, Guilo. I hope I am not intruding on your hospitality; if so, I am terribly sorry.'' He looked up, and added, ''I can see that you have taken care of Torch well. For that I am also grateful.'' Flicking an ear backwards towards his companion, he waited for the younger stallion to speak up. Antares snapped his wandering eyes away from the mares and answered breezily, ''Hey, don't mind me. I just came to make sure Cormorant didn't get into any more trouble. I'll be gone before you know it.'' Although he was mighty curious to hear what his new acquaintance had to say. The young stallion kept his ear to the ground, and heard a lot of gossip on his travels. And this one was particularly interesting- if Diamant had been after him, there might be something of worth to himself.

Cormorant glanced back down the sleeping palomino fondly. But then his face darkened, and he sighed. ''No, Zora,'' he said quietly, ''If everything was alright, I would not be here. Much less in this condition.'' Taking a breath, he continued just as softly to prevent Torch from waking up, ''He's grown a lot... you've done a fine job with him. And he's identical to his sister. She's a good filly too, Lyric is; found out she had a brother but hasn't told a soul. And Aurelie will be overjoyed to hear he's well, providing I can get a message to her, which is not very likely at this point. She's having a rough time, what with Shrine's death...'' Cormorant faltered, sadness creeping into his eyes.

[bullseye14]

Joyous stood wide-eyed behind her father. Though she sometimes felt large and awkward around the two colts, she was still dwarfed in her parents' presence. The black filly was fast approaching Smoke's size, but she didn't really notice or care. Her parents were the only adult horses that she truly idolized. She knew and had met the other herds in the area, but wasn't impressed with the ways of the adults just yet - not even the ways of the other drafts in the area. All the same, she couldn't resist peeking out from behind her father and watching the strangers. The black stallion standing in the front seemed familiar to her, but she didn't know where she'd met him before.


Zora's mind churned as she tried to grasp the situation. Cormorant hadn't come out and said what was wrong yet. Who was this Shrine he was speaking of? She didn't remember that name being mentioned before. Maybe she was just being forgetful, though. At that point, she'd been the mother of a much younger filly and had always been slightly distracted.

"He's been a joy to have around," Zora replied. "He's proved to be a wonderful companion to little Joyous and F--" She faltered, unsure of Smoke's feelings on sharing names with strangers. "And the little chestnut colt as well." For a few moments, she stood silently, not sure of her next move. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Cormorant. I wish it was under better circumstances... If our situation was normal, I'd offer you time to rest before interrogating you, but I need to know if Torch or the herd is in danger?"

[Swede]

Cormorant nodded quickly. ''I'm glad he's behaved himself. As for danger?'' The stallion breathed out thoughtfully, and continued, ''I do not believe his existence is known, and though any herd is in danger if it catches the Piper's interest, yours is perfectly safe. He has other concerns, and I think it will be a while before he takes much notice of outside doings. Normally, I would attribute recent events to his suspicion, and it cannot be ruled out, but...'' He shook his head, looking at Torch again. When he spoke, his voice was even lower than before. ''Remember why I said he was in danger? Because Rysen is convinced that a golden colt will be born into the herd, and bring down everything he's worked for? Well, at first I thought Shrine's death was because Rysen wanted to eliminate this possibility. There are, or were, only two adult palominos in the entire region there- Aurelie, his half sister, and Shrine. But the word is, Shrine was killed by a Dalt, or rather an outside horse living with and serving under the Dalt. This could be a planted rumor, but I don't think so.'' Cormorant sighed heavily. Even though it did not seem to be Rysen who had ordered Shrine killed, it did not make his heart any lighter. Shrine was one of the few who had treated him fairly- Shrine, the stallion whose heart was as golden as his coat. ''Shrine... the only mare he truly loved was Aurelie. And he was the only one she would accept. He is Torch's father. Killed by the Dalt... what twisted horse could do that, I do not know. Shrine is the most peacable horse I've ever met. I doubt he even fought back, when he was attacked.''

Cormorant broke off, sighing wearily. His body was exhausted, but his mind even more so. ''This does not explain why I am here... not completely, anyway. But Rysen was always suspicious of me, and I suppose I was careless when trying to find out about Shrine. I've been branded a traitor, and exiled.''

Antares broke in suddenly from where he had been standing quietly, listening to every word. ''Exiled? That didn't look like exile to me.'' He snorted roughly, remembering the scene he had stumbled across. ''Nah, that was attempted murder, by a proven murderer. I know that guy, or thought I did anyway. He's done it before, and he will do it again.''

Cormorant sighed, flicking an ear backwards in annoyance. ''You wanted to hear; so don't interrupt. The point is, I've been found out. My job has gotten a lot harder, though not impossible. I wasn't really sure where to go... so I thought I would come see Torch, before anything else. I did miss him.'' The stallion gazed at the sleeping yearling fondly. Aurelie and Torna were his friends, but Torch was the only horse he had ever been able to feel family bonds towards. And he would never love again; Fate had forbidden it.

Fire looked at the stranger with a quizzical expression. Who was this weirdo? He glanced at Joyous, who didn't seem particularly in-the-know either. And Torch was asleep, completely unaware of what was going on. But his mother... he had noticed her unease earlier, but now he took a few steps backward, behind her. Smoke was positively quivering, smoldering eyes still fixed on that one they were calling Cormorant.