Chief Sandstorm

**Chief Sandstorm** is a former chief of the pony-panther.

## Personality

Befitting his status and responsibility as leader, Sandstorm cared deeply about the well-being of his kind. Upon returning from the dead, he hoped that King Alder was right about the next generation being strong enough to stop them from their mindless actions.

He loved his wife and son dearly, but he was also torn between his duties as leader and those as a father. This conflict was seen when Strongpaw was deemed a failure by the council, he was visibly disappointed and ultimately decided to give his son one last chance before deciding whether or not to eliminate him. To this end, he was willing to set an elaborate and potentially heartbreaking lie to see his son's determination. Seeing the failure, he chose his kind's safety over his son.

After being reincarnated and seeing his son has become leader of the pony-panthers and even formed strong bonds with his friends, he comes to regret the horrible life he put Strongpaw through with the choices and mistakes he made concerning him, solemnly thinking he wasn't worthy to be called his father. Upon being defeated, he acknowledges Strongpaw had long surpassed him, and tearfully entrusts the safety and future of his village to his son and was happy he was given a chance to reconcile with him.

## Skills

With profound research and knowledge, along with exceptional talent, Sandstorm learned the magnet nature, a simultaneous usage of earth and wind elements. He utilised this ability to manipulate quantities of Gold Dust, being capable of summoning vast amounts of these particles, seemingly from the immediate vicinity around him, over relatively short spans of time. When used offensively, Sandstorm tended to form dense, fast-moving surges that could range in size from narrow streams to colossal waves, intended to injure a target by violently crashing the compacted material into them. However, when used defensively, he created thick barricades of the dust, durable enough to block large spheres of sand. Due to the fact that gold is heavier than sand, he was able to use this additional weight to subdue even Shukaku whenever it went on a rampage.

## Description

### Background

Chief Sandstorm ordered that Shukaku was sealed within his son, Strongpaw. As a result, his wife, Sand Jewel, died from childbirth while Strongpaw was born prematurely, despite Sandstorm's desperation to save her life.

However, as Strongpaw grew and his abilities began to manifest, Sandstorm realised that this had been a poor choice, and started to view Strongpaw as a failed experiment that threatened the pony-panthers, due to Strongpaw's unstable nature of attacking citizens unintentionally. Being pressured by the council who declared that Strongpaw was useless to them, Sandstorm formulated a plan with his brother-in-law to test out Strongpaw's control over Shukaku. Upon this he died and Strongpaw lost control, allowing Shukaku to go wild. Sandstorm used his Gold Dust to stop the beast. After this incident Sandstorm saw Strongpaw was indeed a failure and began issuing orders for his assassination, but all six attempts ended unsuccessfully.

### *Star Knight and the Nine-Tailed Fox*

In "The War Begins", Chief Sandstorm, along with the other reincarnated beings, is summoned by Gentle Light.

In "The Brilliant Strategist", Gentle Light has King Platinum summon three other regents in order to provide support. Amongst this number is Strongpaw.. While the others are preoccupied by their mutual desires to confront each other, only Strongpaw notices his son's Third Eye observing them from afar.

In "The General of Chaos' Surprise Attack", when the night falls, he is called back by Gentle Light.

In "A Father's Hope, A Mother's Love", Sandstorm remained sceptical of Alder's belief that the current generation had surpassed their own. Confronted by an enormous wall of sand, he integrates his heavier Gold Dust into the approaching wave in order to slow it down, under the presumption that Strongpaw had already unleashed Shukaku. Divulging that it was this very method which allowed him to stop the beast in the past, just as his son manages to restrain them with arms of sand, he then dwells on their strength having increased. When Strongpaw finally comes into view, he is shocked to see his son before him rather than Shukaku, causing him to question about the beast's location, receiving in reply that Strongpaw was no longer the jinchuriki his father had created. Unable to comprehend the circumstances surrounding the extraction of the One-Tail, especially in regards to how he obtained friends, Sandstorm's surprise only escalates when informed that Strongpaw does not hate him, due to his role as leader now providing perspective into the motives behind his father's previous actions. Recollecting the past, including both his son's birth and eventual descent into failure as a jinchuriki, Strongpaw supposes that there is some value in his reincarnation as it allows him to determine the worth of his child. Questioning whether Strongpaw was truly capable of surpassing him, the battle between father and son recommences with the collision of gold and sand, resulting in a mixture of the two. However, by attempting to protect two of the other regents from an aerial barrage, Strongpaw's sand is able to restrain all three in an inescapable embrace that adopts the form of his late wife. Admitting the growth of his son as his counters continue to fail in the face of Strongpaw's Shield of Sand, Sandstorm comes to the realisation that all a parent needs do is trust in their children, contradicting his prior concepts of value. Declaring that Strongpaw's strength comes not from Shukaku but instead from his mother, he tells his son that Sand Jewel truly loved him and explains that it was he who had ordered his uncle to lie about his mother simply as a test. Apologising to his son for all that he had stolen from him during his foalhood, he acknowledges that for all his failures as a parent and having no right to call himself a father, he was still glad that Sandstorm's strength had helped Strongpaw throughout his life. After hearing Strongpaw forgive him, before Sandstorm is sealed, he tearfully recognises that his son had surpassed him and gladly entrusts their kind's future to him.

In "The Fall of the Centaur", with the release of the Reincarnation Curse, a light of sorts encased Sandstorm's sealed body as the curse was dispelled and his soul was returned to the afterlife.

## Appearances

Legends:

* Y - Appears and have an active role
* N - Do not appears and is not mentioned directly by the characters.
* B - Appears, but have a passive role or his or her appearance is implicit
* M - Mentioned directly by the characters.