white-out (andy)

He was searing hot on the inside, but that was usual for Ryker. He'd since discovered that the heat in this forest would be perpetual - at least for him - as he'd somehow managed to consume a potion that birthed an inferno within his very body. It was constantly clawing and gnawing at him, trying desperately to escape in any way it knew how. He'd been experimenting lately, trying his best to make use of his inner flame. In return, the fire seemed to relax a bit, if he used it properly, and not cause him quite as much discomfort.

At this time he was performing one of his favorite tricks, setting his antlers on fire. They were seemingly the easiest part of him to control the flame on, as they were nearly indestructible by fire, unlike his hide which he had singed time and time again. Even now he looked down and a bit of the hair on his legs and chest was charred to a darker hue than normal - although it was hardly noticeable. Ryker snorted slightly and concentrated hard, extinguishing the flames that were swirling and sputtering around his antlers. The fire was ultimately squelched by his concentration and dissipated into a puff of smoke.

He shook his head vigorously to rid himself of the smoky after-scent and moved toward the pond he'd discovered earlier this morning. The leaves snarled in protest at his presence, but he ignored their cries for mercy. The red stag approached the pond with mild curiosity, noting the presence of a whitetail buck who was drinking from it's depths. The buck turned to face him, offering a greeting grunt. Ryker dipped his head lightly and offered a grunt but no speech. He had a purpose here, and that was to quench his unquenchable thirst. He dipped his cranium downward and lapped relentlessly at the water for a moment.

As he lifted his head and neck back to their normal positioning, a soft sizzling sound was made as the water dripped from Ryker's maw. "Hello." He snorted lightly, giving himself a small break before he intended to drink more from the pond. Ryker was forever thirsty thanks to the flame inside of him, though he loathed the liquid substance with a presence. Likewise, it loathed him, and sizzled every time he touched it.

Having given himself a moment to breathe, Ryker again dipped his head to the water to drink from its depths. Though he knew his thirst would never be satisfied, he could at least abate it for a short while. Again the sizzling resounded as he lifted his head and the last few drops of water dripped from his lips. He then turned his head to the other, who seemed to be eyeing him rather quizzically. Ryker's face remained sober as ever as he glanced over the whitetail. Ryker was much larger than the other buck due to the difference in species, so he had to look down ever so slightly to take in the full view of the stag. The other male was not small by any whitetail standards, though.

Another note was taken, this male was melanic, a deep ashen black all over. Ryker had always thought this to be an attractive trait, and was quite envious of the male before him for possessing it. As the male spoke up about what he'd seen, Ryker merely snorted once more before speaking. "Ah yes.. it's not all it's cracked up to be, though." That was the truth. So far Ryker had had far more side-effects than advantages with the potion he'd taken, but he'd figured out that day by day, as he learned to use his power, the side effects became less and less of a problem. If he used his abilities enough, the fire inside of him wasn't quite as hot and strong. It was this realization that helped him get through this insane time in his life.

He thought to comment on the male's 'winning the genetic lottery', but decided against it. Compliments weren't exactly his strong suit, in fact.. conversations weren't his strong suit. Therefore, he remained fairly silent. A small spark had jolted from his hoof and he stamped it it lightly, the soft thud making an echo through the otherwise quiet forest.

ooc; I couldn't agree more, I was thinking they'd get off on the wrong foot, but since it didn't happen I'm fine with a friendly rivalry. ^^ btw, he's a Red deer, not an elk ;)

ic; As much as it looked like Ryker was cool, calm, and collected about his newfound power, he was quite the opposite. He was a wreck since he'd first made a spark a week ago, and ever since he'd been trying his hardest just to control the fire inside. Most of the time it wasn't too difficult, but there were times - times when he was angry - that he could hardly manage to squelch it, and there'd been a time when he'd nearly burned the forest down. It was frightening, such a power, but at the same time he loved it. If he only knew a better way to control it!

"Yeah, so far I've managed to keep it under control though." Ryker shifted his weight as the male gazed an inquisitive eye at the burnt patches of fur. However, he knew there was no hiding it. As the man asked about his mastery of the power, Ryker snorted in disbelief, yet another puff of smoke entering the air. "Master? I think you've got it wrong.. the fire is my master, I live only to appease it now.

He dipped his head to drink once more, and in doing so accidentally set an entire leg up to the hock in the watery depths. An irritated sizzling came forth, followed by a slight bubbling of the water before he withdrew his leg and left it curled upward while he continued to drink. Ryker snorted as he took his last draught and rose back up to normal height, setting his hoof on dry ground. "It certainly does make night travel much more convenient, not to mention it's handy on cold nights. Although that did get me in trouble once.. He'd learned rather quickly that sleeping while sustaining and controlling the flame was nearly impossible - at least so far - and that incident had nearly burned the forest down. He was only consoled by the idea that Rottair and Estreya would probably have put the fire out in the event of it's getting out of control, but of this fact he could never be certain.

"I'm afraid most don't call me anything. I'm not the most sociable of beings.. I think this is probably the longest conversation I've shared with anyone in a long time." He paused, reflecting on whether or not he ought to give his name or not. Then, deciding it could do little harm, Ryker continued. "My name is Ryker. Deciding it was only polite to ask the other's name - though he really could live without it - Ryker spoke once more to his own displeasure. "And your calling?" All this time his antlers were perpetually burning, though not a mark was on them. The warmth from the flame was a welcome relief, as it was taking away some of the heat inside his core. Ryker was beginning to think this fire within him was it's own being, an entity all it's own that he must feed, exercise, and appease in order to have any semblance of a normal life in this forest. Perhaps this was true..

ooc; that's cool, mine's short too :P