The Heir

Chapter One

I am sneaking through the jungle, dodging vines and anything that might be poisonous or venomous or even remotely dangerous. I can just imagine the fit my parents would have if I came back paralyzed.

My little wings are tucked against my sides. The blue-green feathers are extremely clean, and had been preened against my will. My meetings with King Thunder Cloud require me to look perfect, which usually never happens.

Thank goodness my coat is dark. I am a blue-black roan, so my fur was a hurricane of blue, black, and gray specks. It helps me blend into the shadows, making it easier for me to sneak out of the kapok tree where my Tribe lives.

I finally find the clearing I'm looking for. It has a pool of water in it, shallow enough to swim in, but deep enough to be clean, unlike the marsh pools that are near the Water Tribe's home.

I wade into the pool, thankful for the hot rocks at the bottom of the pool that keep the water warm. Spreading my wings, I dip my head under and come back up to the surface. A rustling alerts me to the pegasus colt who leaps into the clearing.

"Aha!" he yells. "You are my prisoner now. You must follow me back to my home and stay in the prison."

I walk out of the water towards him. "Who are you, and what makes you think I have to do what you say?" I shake the water off my feathers, spraying the colt's dark gray body and dark amber wings. His eyes are startlingly ice-blue.

The colt lifts his head. "I'm the future King!" He snorts. "I bet your parents are little peasants."

I narrow my eyes. "I'd like to see you say that to their faces! Besides, you can't be the future King."

"Oh, my bad. Your parents are Storm Fliers? How important," he sneers. I paw at the ground with my hoof, wishing I could attack him, but he looks older than me, which means he could use his powers to hurt me.

"Actually, my parents are very important. Now, answer my question: Who are you?" I lash my silver tail.

The colt laughs meanly. "I'm sure your parents are so vital to the kingdom. I'm Prince Flame Hawk, son of Duchess Ash Spark, heir to the throne. So tell me why I, the Prince, cannot be King."

I nearly burst into delirious laughter. "Because, I am the future Queen. My parents are Duke River Stone and Duchess Rain Storm. I am Princess Storm Breeze, the real heir to the throne."

Flame Hawk opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted by a loud, threatening neigh. Behind him, a black mare with crimson wings rushes out from the foliage and stands in front of the colt. I look over my shoulder when I hear a trumpeting whinny. My father, River Stone, and my mother, Rain Storm, step in front of me. Again, I am struck by how beautiful my mother is. Right now, though, she looks more terrifying than pretty.

"Keep that thing away from my son!" the black mare, Ash Spark, nickers in a low voice.

"Ash Spark, that thing is my daughter. There is no grudge between us." My mother takes a step towards Ash Spark, trying to keep the peace.

"You made it a grudge the second your offspring were born. If there wasn't a grudge, Flame Hawk would be the undisputed future King!" Ash Spark snarls. I know the offspring she was talking about are me and my little brother, Thunder Stone, future Duke of the Earth Tribe.

My father steps forward, tossing his strong neck. "It's time for you to go back to your tribe, Ash Spark. And make sure you remind Flame Hawk that the Fire Tribe lives in the mountains of the rainforest, and the Storm Tribe lives down here. He should know where he belongs."

He pumps his blue-green wings, the same color as mine, to lift himself up into the air. He begins to glide back home to the kapok tree. My mother also takes flight. "Storm Breeze, you better be home in ten minutes."

I nod. Ash Spark sneers at me, whirls around, and jumps into the sky to fly back to the volcano mountains where the Fire Tribe makes their home. Flame Hawk watches her go, then turns back to the forest.

Deciding that I'm going to enjoy at least one thing today, I slip back into the water and just float under the surface with my wings spread. I'm surprised when dark amber wings flash under the water. Flame Hawk must have dived in after me. 

I resurface and gape at him when he comes back up. "What are you doing?"

"It's my rainforest. I can swim with you if I want to," he says haughtily. His forelock flops into his eyes.

I laugh at him, then quickly stop. "You, sir, need to learn some modesty and humbleness. Besides, it's not your rainforest. I am the true heir."

His ice-blue eyes glint in challenge. "We'll see about that." He trots out of the pool and whisks the water out of his tail. I can't help but be impressed by his well-muscled body and wings and shining dark gray coat. 

Why is he so fit? He must be only a half-moon older than me. Don't tell me he's already being trained as a soldier.

I get out of the water too. "Well, it's been interesting to meet you. I suppose you think I'm competition now, although you should know that I've already won." I match his haughty tone. "I must go now."

He sticks a dark amber wing out toward me. "Wait," he commands. I consider summoning my powers to blow this ignorant colt across the ocean for thinking he can tell me what to do.

"About what you said," he continues, luckily for him. I was about to strike him with lighting or something. "If I do take those modesty and humbleness lessons, would you consider meeting me here again soon?"

He wants to see me again. This is dangerous, forbidden. Getting to know the threat to my throne would be useful, though.

Deep down inside, I know I am curious about him, but making it about the throne is much easier than admitting that.

"I suppose I could make myself available in a few days," I say regally, my beautiful blue-black roan head high, my black mane waving in the breeze that snuck through the vines jungle brush. 

"Good," he neighs. "I'll send one of my pets with a note." With that, he flicks his tail at me and dives back into the jungle.