Don't kiss me if you're afraid of thunder | Laia! Any!

[Nashua]

Nashua is still high on the heights that he has fallen from and the adrenaline rush is fueling the broad grin that sears across his face. Oh, to fly. Taking to the skies is a thrill that he hasn’t found a match for yet and every time he soars (however little that might be - he’s still growing into those wings), he happily throws it onto a pile of kindling that ignites his life.

The yearling loves many things but flying is… this is just the beginning of a spark that will light up his soul. There are many places for Nash to go, many sights for him to see but for now, this is just the start of lifelong passion. (The striped yearling will always love his brother more than the skies and his Aunt Elaina has told him there will be times he will have to place duty above his wings.) For now though, this is just the beginning and Nashua is still a child.

Those lessons haven’t come yet.

With the mighty height of Taiga’s trees behind him, it bolsters his confidence and steadies his easy grin. The first filly that disappears surprises him. Nash looks sharply to the left and then to the remaining girl, ”Where-?” The boy starts before her reappearance answers his obvious question. He’d be more interested in what she just did - how she just flashed in and out like that - if she wasn’t so intent on scolding him.

His ears flick back and Nash looks like he’s been stung by the whiplash of her words. ”I wasn’t sneaking,” the yearling corrects her. She can’t know that being accused of sneaking was something that Nashua’s mother would tell him was rude. And any thoughts of his mother always make him ache. ”I’m exploring,” he states, as if that explains all the difference, with a flip of his flaxen tail.

And as if Yanhua knew something was missing, his twin slips into the conversation.

"Yan!” he calls out with an eager whinny. His earlier (stormy) expression brightens and the boy lowers his head to playfully mimic his twin's motion. There are no horns on his head but the two have practiced this action before. When he turns his attention back to the first filly, he’s studying her growing antlers. Nash feels a momentary twinge of jealousy that the only thing he has are the auburn wings tucked by his sides. He glances to the other girl and finds himself inspecting her scales; was she a dragon as Leilan was? Why didn't she fully shift into her other shape? Or did it work differently when young? Perhaps only parts and pieces could come together before the whole picture took shape.

Maybe it was something like Yanhua’s growing horns or his molting wings. Only a matter of time.

”I’m Nashua,” he says, blinking away the questions that are dawning in his mind. He answers the first filly - Laia - instead. The yearling playfully tosses his head to the side, ”and this is my brother, @[Yanhua].” Nash and Yan, as those closest would come to know them. As their mother had called them, as their Aunts Elaina and Brazen called them now.

Then looking to the second girl - Loey - with a returning smile and easy shrug of his shoulders, he adds: "Naaah. We’re from Taiga.” Just as these two are obviously from Tephra, he assumes from the sulfuric scent that permeates off their skin. Nash peers up, wondering exactly how to describe Popinjay. "My, uh, flight instructor dropped me off here.”

Glancing curiously at his twin (he can’t recall the last time he saw Yanhua outside Taiga or leave it, for that matter) before looking back to the other set he asks, "what are you guys doing out here?”