The sound of squealing rattled in Puffinflight’s ears, causing her to jolt up, eyes wide. A pair of stunning, bright golden eyes and massive jaws of a wolf easily the size of a pony stared back at her. Massive fangs drooled around the neck of a pegasi who she immediately recognized. Her heart dropped like a stone. In between those jaws lay her beautiful black and white coat, still shining in the moonlight as if she had just thoroughly been groomed, her blue and gold eyes wide with glazed terror.

~

The yearling jolted up out of her sleep with a gasp, her feathers rattled up and her coat dampened by sweat. Her head swiveled around, taking in her surroundings. Where she was, what was real and what was not. She loosened a breath she did not realize she’d been holding when her gaze landed on the black and white piebald yearling next to her. She was sleeping soundly- or had been. The yearling’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Puffinflight with her mismatched eyes. She sat up only to yawn and stretch her legs before rolling back over, flopping down along Puffinflight’s side. Puffinflight chuckled, putting her wing down and around the yearling.

Puffinflight blamed the nightmare on the series of events that had happened just earlier that day. A patrol had missed the lingering pack of those massive, cunning wolves when the herd was moved to the grazing land. A little colt-almost fully weaned- had wandered too far from its mother a great white monster of a wolf had leaped out and snatched him away, running into the brush before any of the pegasi could follow. She could still hear his bleats of terror- and the mother’s wailing of grief.

She knew better than to try and go back to sleep, once she was awake she was rarely able to return back to sleep, so she made the most of it, keeping a vigilant watch over Riversun. The two often slept under a great tree, one of the few landmarks in the large valley.

The field they slept in was large and lush enough that they could graze there for a midnight snack if they wanted, but it wouldn’t support the full herds daily grazing- hence why they often traveled to the lower field to graze, where the grass was much lusher and richer. If you were lucky you could find berries hidden amongst the bushes that edged along the forest. She speculated that was what the colt had been after before he had been snatched away. She shivered at the thought and looked away.

Puffinflight flicked her ears forward, closing her eyes as she listened to the nearby sounds. Some small chatter between birds- the sun must not be far off. The stream- Star’s Flow they called it. If you followed it far enough, you’d make it to the old grazing lands. Where a monument, now a few piles of rock, now lay. Where her father and milk mother also laid.

She shut out the thought before it became too much to think about. She turned her head to her wing, preening it carefully to keep her mind off of the topic.

~

Puffinflight’s eyeslids were dropping a bit when the sun’s rays crested over the valley. Several pegasi stirred as if it had summoned them awake, Riversun among them. The piebald yearling stretched and yawned, Puffinflight taking that as her clue to peel her wing back from her. “Morning Riversun,” She said, nudging her with a broad smile before standing, shaking the dirt from herself.

“Morning Puffinflight,” She responded energetically, flexing her wings as she stood. She arched her neck, peering down at the valley. Shadows flickered over her eyes, Puffinflight knew she was reliving the events from the day prior. Both of them had been too far from the colt to help. Puffinflight had instantly gone to help- had been about to zip through the trees to go after the wolf and the colt it dragged away when Stormwing had stopped her. She had a feeling he stopped her so Riversun wouldn’t have followed her into the woods. She could still feel his glare, his dark gaze glittering with malice.

“C’mon, I’ll race you to the flower grove,” Puffinflight teased her friend. Riversun perked up and gave Puffinflight an almost feral grin. “You may have longer legs but I have bigger wings!” She whistled, flapping her wings in response. Puffinflight snorted a laugh. It was true. Although Puffinflight had been gifted with the nicely muscled body of her sire and the long legs of her dam, her wings had gotten the short end of the stick. Although she could fly with them, the feathers were broad, round, and short, resembling that of a mountain herd steed.

She pawed a line in the ground. “We start here,” She announced, puffing out her chest as she pranced a bit. “On my mark…” They both got ready, Riversun spreading her wings while Puffinflight spread her own.

“Get set…” They tensed, Riversun’s muscles quivering in anticipation

“Go-” “PUFFINFLIGHT.”

Both yearlings went to leap forward when the voice boomed. Puffinflight yelped, tripping over her hooves. She caught herself before she fell- which she would be forever grateful for. Had Riversun saw her fall on her face she would never hear the end of it. Both of them looked up in time to see Stormflight flying towards them.

“Uh oh, someones in trouble,” Riversun said with a grimace. She gave Puffinflight a pat on the shoulder, perhaps the only comfort she could spare as the Over-Stallion of Storm Herd landed in front of them. His gaze skipped over Puffinflight for merely a second to look at Riversun before looking back to Puffinflight, giving her his signature glare that would have sent lesser steeds running.

Puffinflight gave him a bored, if not curious look. “Yes, sir?” She said, hoping her annoyance didn’t show in her voice.

By the way that only his nostrils flared, she assumed she was doing a good job so far. The two of them never got along. Puffinflight had a good feeling that the stallion had disliked her as soon as she started nursing from Petalcloud- or maybe it was when she was born to a Sun Herd mare from a Snow Herd sire.

“You are to go on patrol with the warriors today,” Stormwing said, pointing his wing to the group of warriors readying to scout the grazing lands. The patrol was doubled today.

Puffinflight knew her surprise showed. Her? A yearling? On patrol?

It should be an honor, she supposed, though she had a feeling Stormtail had some malicious intent to the patrol- to punish her for trying to run after that colt.

Puffinflight dipped her head, she knew better than to argue with him.

“Are you crazy?!” Perhaps only Riversun would have had the guts to speak to him like that. “She’s a yearling! She hasn’t even finished flight school!”

Flight school had been stalled, ever since Hazelstorm had left- gone to join the herd of The Destroyer Stormwing had seethed when he had found out the news. Stormwing buzzed his wings in annoyance and stomped a hoof.

“Flight school is not an option,” he answered his adopted daughter before looking to Puffinflight who had stilled, tilting her head to listen to them. “Consider this a test, to see how capable you are.” Puffinflight didn’t fail to notice the little smirk he gave her. No, this would definitely be no normal patrol. Still, she rattled her feathers at the challenge.

“I’ll see you later, Riversun,” a promise she would be back by the yearling's side whenever she was done with this… ‘test’. She trotted off, leaving the two alone.

~

Riversun opened her mouth to protest when Stormwing interjected, raising a wing to silence her. “Quailroot needs help gathering a new supply of herbs.” He said, giving her a nod in the medicine mare’s direction. Riversun glared at him, shaking with barely controlled rage before she whirled, flying off to where the medicine mare was treating a stallion’s sore hoof. She landed roughly in front of them, causing them both to jump a bit. She stomped forward, seething. Quailroot looked as if she was about to ask what was wrong, but Riversun was in no mood to answer such a question. “What do you need me to do.”

And so the medicine mare, after giving Riversun a long, thoughtful look, sighed and gave her a list of what she needed replenished and where to find it.

~

Puffinflight had done her best to calm her nerves as she approached the group of stallions and mares. She noted how most of them were senior warriors- no other young steeds or new warriors were here for a… ‘test’. Her wings twitched as they turned to her. She could name all of them. Windtrail and Robinwhistle, previously two Mountain Herd sky-herders, Dawnfrost, Twist shadow, and Frostray, previously Snow Herd steeds, and Poisonfeather, previously a desert herd mare who was- and still is- obsessed with studying various plants and animals along with their poisons.

She noted their expressions, how Dawnfrost and Twistshadow both looked grave as they took her in- how Windtrail and Frostray both looked perhaps a bit guilty. Her wings puffed up and she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Where are we patrolling?” She asked after the silence went on for too long. The warriors shared glances, deciding who would speak. Finally Frostray stepped forward, his expression hard as he said “we are tracking that wolf to its den.”

Characters

Puffinflight - a dappled bay tobiano mare with a bald face that doesn't go over her eyes and leak a bit down her neck, curly brown mane and tail, blue eyes, and orange feathers that fade into a darker red-orange color.

Riversun - a tiny black piebald filly with black violet tipped feathers, and brown and blue heterochromatic eyes.

Stormwing - a "moose" of a stallion, with purple feathers and a dapple-gray coat. His mane and tail are black, and his eyes are also black.

Quailroot - a light bay mare with a snip, dark brown mane and tail, 2 front socks, red-brown rust colored feathers, and brown eyes.

Windtrail - a blue roan sky-herder mare, 2 hind stockings and 1 front sock, green feathers, dark grey mane and tail, and brown eyes.

Robinwhistle - bay mare sky-herder with a frosted back and 1 front sock, bright red wings that fade into white, and red eyes.

Dawnfrost - Palomino mare with a wide blaze, light blue-gray wings tipped with gold feathers and gold eyes.

Frostray - a blue roan stallion with a snowcapped back, a thin blaze, pale yellow wings, and light blue eyes.

Twistshadow - a dark bay stallion with an irregular blaze, 2 hind socks, 1 front sock and 1 front stocking, dark green wings, and green eyes.

Poisonfeather - a beautiful golden palomino mare with light purple feathers that fade into a deeper purple and icy blue eyess.

~

I hope you enjoy the first official chapter of Divine Destiny!