Storms Over Winter

He laughed, a harsh sound that resembled a thunderclap snapping in half (if such an occurrence would have a sound), flicking his long tail as he put the finishing flair on his work and with a cocky toss of his head said And I would've missed out on flirting with such a lovely creature as you are. Wouldn't that be a shame? But if you want to bop, Madame Shadow Stalker, you'll have to catch me first.

Grinning he took a step sideways and abused the electrical currents in his own body, shifting the shade and texture of his scales to match the ice around him; he blended in perfectly. It'd taken no small amount of study to perfect the trick and he was quite proud to say he was an expert at it now. He could coerce those small electrical currents into almost anything.

No sooner had he disappeared than he tried his best to sneak close and plant a good sound kiss on cheeks that looked to be a little bit brighter than they had been a moment before. If she was any more adorable he'd just have to kidnap her; it was that simple.

I have started a bit of a trend with my hobby, he continued, seeing no reason not to continue their conversation as he pranced around practically invisible, giving her teasing notions of which direction his voice was coming from. I got my Ward into 'creating' with his elemental talent as well, and now he's influencing the newest filly in the bondherd.

His tone, while still rough-voiced, was light, playful and teasing as he moved closer to try and nip at her mane, sneaking a whisper into her ear. Now come let your shadows play with sparks.

He couldn't wait to see what she'd come up with.

Fyre grinned slightly, looking at Hybrid. "My dear, if I had wanted to bop you, it would have been done. You are safe from being bopped, I promise. That is quite the neat trick you have there."
All of a sudden, Fyre felt a kiss on her cheek, and she grew bright red, as she felt her face grow hot. Hybrid was growing bolder, and she liked it. Now it was time for her to show off a bit. She could disappear just as well as he could.

Fyre walked over to the edge of the treeline a few yards away and found the closest shadow of a tall tree. As she stepped into the shadow, it was as if her body passed through the shadow the same way one would pass through an entrance, leaving no trace behind her. She was curious as to how Hybrid would react to that little display of hers. Normally she didn't show off, but for him, it seemed okay to do so.

He froze as she stepped into the shadows and disappeared, his skin rippling in a manner that resembled lights seen from under water. His first thought was that she'd called his skin-shifts a neat trick.

It had taken no small amount of work; while one could easily abuse the electrical currents which sent orders to each cell in the body, it was very difficult to send an order that the cells were never made for. His skin had literally zero mimicry cells; so telling them to shift color and texture was like telling a tree to juggle. The answer had come in finding ways to make it appear as if his skin was actually reacting as he wished; he literally sent small electrical pulses to every cell covering his outer form until they had been abused into looking the way he wanted. Rougher textures were easier as he could burn certain cells and cause them to shrivel and die.

It'd been dangerous to the point of having his bonded sit with him every second during his study of the concept; often times she had to fix his mistakes, subtly guiding him to what he needed to know through the different ways she healed. He'd been determined all the same, not only for the use of the skill itself but for the sheer Mastery of it. It was one thing to call forth or banish the lightning in the sky, another to wield it in unusual ways, but still another to have such a minute understanding that he could literally call forth the lightning within any living creature and force their muscles to do his bidding.

That wasn't a concept he was comfortable with though, so instead he forced his own body to do as he wished in the same manner.

And Fyre had called it neat. In a pique of pure male validation, he felt something inside him leap into the air with a whoop; gorgeous, good sense of humor, and daring enough to not be put off. Could this get any more perfect? His efforts were seriously paying off if this helped him impress her.

Naturally, he didn't really consider the efforts of his bonded-baby-sitter, so in a hint of vindication he found a smug sensation swirling through his mind, heavily laced with the word infatuation. It was a vague notion, a half-formed thought which didn't even properly contain words, but it got the point across; she was teasing him. It happened whenever he attempted to overlook someone, a bit of rancour from the bonded; luckily it didn't happen often.

All the same, his elation was all but forgotten as she stepped into the shadows. Literally into; the dimness wrapped around her and took her. Allowing his skin to flicker back to its normal state, he trotted over to where she'd gone and stretched his neck forward with evident interest. Amazing, he murmured, apparently speaking to himself as he perked his ears forward and flared his nostrils. Rather than being chased, he mused with a smirk, it seems I'm to hunt me a mare.

He was absolutely fine with that; in fact, he rather hoped she tried to leap out and surprise him from one of the shimmering ice-shadows. He wouldn't get tackled and bopped, but he wasn't at all above tackling her instead.

The idea reminded him of her claim that had she wanted to bop him in earnest he would have been already. His grin grew a little wider, a little more playful, as a wicked temptation struck him. She could certainly try, but she'd have to get hold of him first.

He thought none-too-briefly about sending some of the electricity in the air to brush against the shadows. They'd shrink from the light, giving her far less to work with; at least, the ones directly next to his lightning would. Numerous other shadows would spring up and if she was quick enough she could easily use them to vex him to no end. Worse though, he had a bit of a dark sense of humor at times; she might not appreciate being nearly roasted alive. He wanted a game, he didn't want her earnestly trying to rip his throat out.

So rather than the grand sweeping bolts of lightning that he'd originally thought of he sent a few small, probing sparks, quickly picking up his mimicry of the icy landscape again. Within minutes there was a blazing trail through the nearest shadows, the glittering sparks easily slicing the darkness in half - except for those areas where the shadows seemed to inexplicably swallow the lightning up.

Hmmm... He might have found his prize. Grinning, creeping closer, he waited to see who would be the one lucky enough to pounce first.

This. Was. Awesome!

So it seemed that he wanted to play with the shadows too, and have himself a bit of a hunt. Fyre was perfectly alright with this, and was curious how close she could get. He sent out some small sparks to probe the land and see if he could shrink the darkness, and Fyre felt a small jolt as he did so. His eyes followed the shrinking shadows till he seemed to find her hiding spot. It was time to move. Fyre moved to a shadow behind him just where she thought his blindspot might be, and jumped out, nipped at his rump with a playful giggle, then jumped into the nearest shadow to another spot. This was going to be fun.

He spun around, quick as lightning, his eyes bright as sparks as laughter ripped from his throat. She got him! Quick as a minx, she was.

Game on.

Smirking, he lifted his head and looked around with a fierce sort of pride as he collected every bit of lightning he could muster - which was a vastly substantial amount. Every last shadow was ripped away, the lightning swirling around him and streaking outward. Everything seemed flat, almost washed out as it paled in the wake of his summons.

All but the one area, that place where the pretty mare clung to her shadow talents. With a smirk he launched himself forward, sending snow flying out behind him as his talons sank in to propel himself further as he tried to tackle the elusive mistress of shadows.

He'd taken her shadows away from her, leaving just the one she was using. Goodness, did he ever like playing for keeps. Luckily, Fyre had another trick up her sleeve. After all, Hybrid himself was still casting a shadow, and she could use that to her advantage. Slipping from her hiding spot, Fyre discreetly jumped into Hybrid's shadow. This was a nice spot from which she could admire his very fine form. She decided to mess with him again, but maybe just a bit subtler this time. Discreetly peeking her head out of the shadow, Fyre gave a gentle nibble on his hind leg and quickly popped her head back in.