ORIGIN

He'd given life to the diamond a cycle ago, or so, by his estimation--touching it gently with his nose, imparting his magic to it. He hadn't realized, it at the time; he'd just... pitied it, where it lay, this last remnant of the great tormented beast.

The place was relatively temperate, as far as Hydra went: a relatively shaded area of the Crucible, not far off of the den that Quentin and Mirage had shared. It was dry, yes, and hot, but dappled with shadows, and foliage sprouted up, here and there. Dry grasses, clusters of green leaves. A cooler wind swept through, now and then, sending sand whispering along the rock, bringing with it the scent of the river not far off. And the water--the river's curve, broad and glittering in the orb-light like the scaled body of a great snake, sent reflected light dancing along the canyon walls farther along.

Hoofbeats thudded, clicking and sending dull thuds echoing through the ravine, as he returned. He'd been grazing--foraging along the river's edge, drinking there. He was more than familiar with Hydra's dangers which, to him, were not all that worrying, any longer. He didn't live in constant fear, at least; only alertness, and that's what mattered.

Brown eyes lifted, head twisting to check the 'sky' overhead, where canyon parted and gave way to open air. He had to keep watch for the Eyehooks up there, always. He then looked back down, dusty white coat healthy but dull with sweat and sand as he moved around the diamond.

The chrysalis had... grown. It was as large as he was, now, or larger, and he had begun to realize that his moment of pity for the dead Ice Worm might spell disaster for him and others down the road. What if another one hatched out just like it--massive and mindless, turning the cave to ice and snow-? He brooded about this, from time to time, worrying; other times he worried that it would be a little foal, like he had been, in an oversized stone and that he'd somehow miss its hatching. He'd become fretful as of late, checking on it more and more frequently, aware that it was probably time for it to hatch.

After a time he lowered himself, as was his habit now, to lay in the brush half-hidden alongside the chrysalis; and there he dozed, fitful, in the midday heat.

horse stock: colourize-stock.deviantart.com

Warrior awoke abruptly at the muffled thumping from within the stone. His head swung up, a startled snort escaping him, large eyes blinking sleep away. He wasn't sure how long it had been--the shadows had moved, but how much he couldn't say or, rather, he wasn't paying attention to. Instead, the gemstone--it was shattering, and before he could help, the creature within had smashed its way free.

He came to his feet as it tumbled forth, and quickly stepped forward, ears sweeping forward.

"Shhh--shhh, I'm here--are you all right?" The first took on an air of warning, the white horse turning and looking this way and that, his heart thudding into motion. The child was--huge, and he hoped it was sapient, but any noise might bring the Eyehooks down upon them. His magic, for once, didn't respond, and he looked back to Cryogen, drawing closer, kind and earnest. The kid was huge, but it wasn't worm--he saw himself in it, and he... wasn't sure what to think of that. Fear, hope, love, worry, all flooded through him too fast and combined their forces to make confusion. "I'm Warrior. You're safe with me--I'm... I'm your father," he explained, hardly able to comprehend his own words.

horse stock: colourize-stock.deviantart.com

Warrior glanced up, again, and around--wariness etched in every line of his body. But nothing came; nothing attacked, at least, and with an exhale of relief through flared nostrils he looked back to his--son. It was huge; he was sure he'd been nowhere near that size at his own hatching. But--that was fine, and... it was sentient-...

He trembled, briefly, his chest tightening and firing out an exhale, and nearly started crying for a moment then and there. Relief flooded through him as the fears of many sleepless hours bled away.

"You can speak-..." he blurted, joy in his tone and in his face. "You're--my child. I do--I didn't think to name you," he said quietly. He didn't know if it was a son, or a daughter, or something else and he wasn't about to start guessing. It was healthy, it was large-... "You are a child of myself, and the Ice Worm," he explained, softly.

"This place-... is a cave, one of many. The caves are all a dangerous place, but I will protect you--teach you," he assured them quietly. "This place--it's called Hydra, and it's nice, here. Warm. Are you--do you want food? Water? I'm--babbling," he said aloud, blinking as he realized it.

He dipped his head in apology--and then reached it out, offering the soft touch of his muzzle, round-eyed, toward the child.

horse stock: colourize-stock.deviantart.com

Realization struck him, and his stomach dropped.

...Of course Hydra's too hot. The ice worm was a creature of ice, and snow.

Warrior hesitated.

"Can you come with me? I'll bring you somewhere a little cooler--it isn't far," he assured the child. "Just try to stay quiet, yes? So we can stay safe. Quiet, safe."

He turned, and took a few plodding steps down the ravine, toward the distant glittering lights of light dancing across the canyon walls, reflected by the river. "This way," he said, glancing back at it.

He hoped the river would be enough to cool it-... But if not, what then? He fretted all over again, wondering if he'd have to leave his home to lead the child to safer grounds--but what even lay beyond Hydra? Bones, he knew; death and fear. Did he want to bring a child out there? But what's my alternative, if they'd die from heat, here?

As his stomach flipped, worried, he realized that now--more than he ever had in his life--he felt like nothing more than a helpless child, again, himself. He tried to push that aside: he had to be the adult, now. The parent. The caretaker.

The white horse pushed out his mind, testing the air, the sky, watching for danger as he led his child onward--assuming, of course, that Cryogen followed. "Do you--know of a name, for yourself?" he asked, as he went; "or would you like for me to name you?"

horse stock: colourize-stock.deviantart.com

Warrior led the way--pausing only to peer ahead with his magic, and ensure they were safely alone--out into the open branch where their narrower canyon met a far more open, broad ravine. The light, though dying into evening, was still bright here, and it sparked almost blinding red and gold off the surface of the wide, flowing river.

"Be careful--it's strong, in places. Stay near the edges--where thee's plants," he recommended.

Carefully, he plodded into the shallows until he was knee-deep, and drank for a moment, looking to Cryogen.

"You are half Ice Worm--and you look like ice. Maybe you like the cold; something with ice or snow, then? Ahh--Snowdrift. Blizzard, Ice, Icicle, Snowstorm? Something like that? Icehoof, or...? Do any of these sound good?" he asked, glancing around again--constantly keeping watch, constantly ensuring their safety.

horse stock: colourize-stock.deviantart.com