Everyone became death silent. Ravenleaf stared at Alderflare, her round-motherly eyes concerned for her newest colt. Whisperfrost flinched and looked down at her hooves, allowing her forelock to fall over her eyes.

Ravenleaf pulled Alderflare closer to her with her wing. "Tell us what happened" she said in a voice so sweet that it made honey look bitter .Alderflare sighed and lifted his head towards the horizon. "My parents are awful. They only love my siblings because their wings aren't deformed. But, when my father saw my wings, he just...walked away..without looking back and I never knew why... At least, my mother is better than my father. I can stand my mother...it's my father that I hate..." He said, explaining.

Whisperfrost glanced up at him and the two stole glances from one another. Whisperfrost felt and understood his pain. Whisperfrost's father left Ravenleaf when she was pregnant with Whisperfrost and Whisperfrost never knew why and Ravenleaf never told her about it.

Alderflare turned his head away from Whisperfrost and continued, "My mother is...how can I put this? She is... complicated? Nah... more like a self-absorbed, arrogant filly. My mother doesn't act her age. She'll act older or younger, but never her age. She doesn't care about me, probably cause I can't fly too well. She only cares about my siblings, who are a huge success in River herd." Alderflare saw their curious faces and he smiled gently. "I'm the second oldest amongst 4 foals. My older sister, Grayclover, is my mom's personal favorite. She is 5 years old, large, muscular, kind of a "Doesn't think before she acts" pegasus. She's stubborn and rude." He said with a frown. "Yeah...she takes after my father. The third oldest is Bumblesnow, my younger brother named after one of my father's closest friend who passed away." Alderflare paused. "And the fourth is Dovehoney. She is one of the smartest foals in River herd. She's a spy-the job was basically given to her." he said, a slight tone of envy rising in his voice. "And then there's me. I was born with one with larger than the other, causing me to have trouble taking off and landing and basically flying in general. When I was born, my mom started to lick me clean and that's when she spotted my deformed wing. I can still hear her scream. It was angry, confused, and scared, like she's never seen anything like me. I can still hear my mother's voice talking to my father, "He's a dud! He'll never amount to anything...Not like our other foals."" Alderflare said, his voice catching.

Whisperfrost extended her wing and placed it comfortingly on his shoulder. "What are your parents names?" Whisperfrost asked gently, but Ravenleaf scowled. "Whispefrost! He doesn't have to tell us that. We don't need to know." Ravenleaf said, looking at Alderflare, who was still glaring at his hooves. "Yes. Yes, you do need to know. Besides, it'll feel good to get off my chest." he said. He raised his eyes to look at Ravenleaf and Whisperfrost. "Flamesky is my mother." He paused to let that settle in. "And Brackentail...is my father..."

Ravenleaf gasped and Whisperfrost's jaw dropped. The mother and daughter looked at each other, eyes wide. Ravenleaf flicked her ears. "Brackentail?! As in, the Brackentail!? The brown stallion with orange wings who tried to kill Starwing as a colt?!!!" Whisperfrost looked up at the sky, watching the last orange rays peek over the horizon. "The same Brackentail that betrayed Sun herd almost a year ago?" she asked. Whiseprfrost had heard the tale of how Brackentail betrayed Sun herd. Rockwing made a pact with the colt. Sun herd information in return for freedom and allowing Echofrost to remain unharmed...

The story shook her to the bone and made her wary of other herds. Alderflare's long, heavy sigh brought her back to the present.

Alderflare didn't even look up. "Yep...That's him. That's my father."

~

(I know, this one is short and not that great. But...meh)