"Meredith Ann Pierce - Firebringer 1 - Birth of the Firebringer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pierce Meredith Ann)

stubble in the valley below. The year was just now struggling into birth, still in its storming month, the time
of cold gales and showers before spring.
Jan lowered his head and shook himself, feeling his mane settle along his neck. He pawed the leaf mold
with one cloven heel, swatted a pair of stinging gnats from his flank with his tassel-ended tail, and
wondered where Dagg was. He and his friend had a standing agreement to meet on the hillside whenever
a storm was in the wind. Jan nibbled at a fly bite on one shoulder, fidgeted. Then the sound of hoofbeats
made him wheel.
Pale yellow and dappled with gray, Dagg was like most unicorn colts, the color of his sire. Jan was
notтАФthe princeтАЩs line never ran true, not since the days of Halla, four hundred summers gone. It was
their mark, and set them off from all the herd, that no princeтАЩs heir might ever be a match for him, so
while Korr was as black as the well of a weaselтАЩs eye, Jan, his son, was only sable, a rich dark brown
like the color of earth. He spotted Dagg coming toward him through the trees.
Dagg neared and nipped at Jan, shouldering him, and the princeтАЩs son shied, kicking. They chased each
other off the narrow trail, nickering and fencing with coltsтАЩ long, unsharpened horns that clashed and
clattered in the heavy, storm-awaiting stillness. Then Jan broke off, dodging back to the path, and
sprinted toward the hillcrest.
тАЬHist, come on,тАЭ he cried over one shoulder. тАЬThe stormтАЩs nearly here.тАЭ
They sped up slope then through the patches of sunlight and shadows of the trees. Jan threw up his
head, letting his long legs stretch. The wind fingered his mane and played through the shag of his winter
coat. He felt young and strong and full of his power. The rush of air laid back his ears. In another
momentтАФin another moment, he would fly. Then he felt Dagg pulling up alongside him from behind and
dropped back to a trot. They had nearly reached the top of the slope.
тАЬYour fatherтАЩll dance thunder if he finds out,тАЭ Dagg said after a moment, тАЬthat weтАЩve come up this high,
and with stormwind from the east.тАЭ
Jan shook the forelock out of his eyes and nickered. Colts were forbidden to stray from the valley
floor, away from the ready shelter of the grottoes there. The Gryphon Mountains rose barely a dayтАЩs
flight to the eastern south, and a gryphon could fly far with stormwind at its back. The unicorns lost foals
every spring when the gryphon formels, the females, were hatching their ravenous young. Jan shrugged
and laughed again. тАЬWeтАЩll be back long before weтАЩre missed.тАЭ
тАЬAye, and what if we meet someone up here?тАЭ Dagg asked him. тАЬThen weтАЩll catch a storm for sure.тАЭ
тАЬWe wonтАЩt,тАЭ Jan told him. тАЬWith the rain so near, theyтАЩll all be under hill.тАЭ
A great thorn thicket sprawled across their path. They began skirting it.
тАЬBut what about gryphons?тАЭ Dagg added uneasily. тАЬTheyтАЩre bigger than unicorns.тАЭ The yellow colt had
dropped his voice. He crowded up against JanтАЩs flank.
Jan shook him off. тАЬWingcats only hunt the east side of the Vale. WeтАЩre in the west. And my father the
prince lives hereтАФtheyтАЩd never dare.тАЭ
Dagg looked dubious.
Jan snorted and sprang away. тАЬKnow what IтАЩd do if I ever saw a gryphon?тАЭ The princeтАЩs son reared,
pawing the air. тАЬIтАЩd give it such a blow, itтАЩd never rise again! IтАЩdтАжтАЭ
Then all at once he caught sight of something: motion, a shape. Choking off his words, he dropped to
all fours and gazed ahead through the thick of the trees. The hillcrest lay not far up slope. They had nearly
rounded the thorns. When Dagg started to speak, Jan shushed him with a hiss.
тАЬWhat is it?тАЭ breathed Dagg.
Jan shook his head. He edged forward, peering. All he could discern through the undergrowth was a
vague form, some animal. It was large and stood in shadow among the trees. A cold sensation touched
JanтАЩs breast. Neither he nor any colt he knew had ever seen a gryphon, but the singers spoke of great
hawk beaks and wings, talons, catтАЩs eyes, and hind limbs like those of the sabertoothed pards that
roamed the Plain.
Dagg pressed against him, making him jump. тАЬCan you make it out?тАЭ
Jan shook his head again and crept closer, putting his hooves down soundlessly. With so many trees