The stars above her head shine brighter than what they do in other places. It is as if they put on a show in efforts to impress the mare with a mane and tail that glint like spun moonlight. I watch her quietly. Moving along in the wood adjacent to where she stands I place each hoof carefully. My instincts wish for a speedy retreat; they know that something is different about this stranger. I am not one to ignore the pleas of my instincts but I have a suspicion in regards to the nature of the mare that the stars themselves bow to. Eyes traveling to the nighttime sky I gaze at the moon. The celestial orb leans closer to her brother Earth seeming to pull closer in order to whisper into this mare's lavender ears. I do not know what passes between the pair. I do not need to. Fate is all knowing. Fate led my hooves to the Goddess of the Moon.

I step from my place of hiding with reverence. I prepare to bow to the goddess in a show of devotion. I had spoken in a rash manner while visiting in the Veins of the Gods but that was only because the other gods had never done much to earn my respect. This goddess, she has nothing to prove to me. She is the queen of my night.

Dropping to my knees I am pressed on by a heart filled with careful hope. I would do all that this goddess could ask for in return for her to guide me back into Elivian. The thought of my friends swells my hopeful heart, and the thought of going home to Ailie's cooking warms my cautious smile.

I miss them dearly. Ailie. Talus. Kaya. Darmeir. Eanrin. I can picture them vividly. At this time Eanrin is tucked into bed with her cat flopped across her. Come morning he will be draped across her face; his tactic is to demand his breakfast with the threat of being smothered. But at least he is loyal. Talus will have been the one to have tucked Eanrin in. I had been the one who did it before, but Talus will have stepped in during my absense. To the others he may act gruff and reluctant but behing her closed door he will read her a bedtime tale in silly voices better than what I could ever do. Kaya and Ailie will be sitting on the steps beside a fire while Darmeir tells a tall tale about his thieving days. Pacing back and forth he will use the dramatic lighting of the makeshift fire to heighten the drama of his story. I am the only one missing.

I tell myself that this is what they are all doing. But Talus had sent me away, transported me, into Helovia whenever we had landed ourselves into a worrisome mess. Part of me fears for their safety.

Still dropped in my low reaching bow I search for the words to ask the goddess. As I do so another approaches her openly. From his tone I can tell he offers her flattery. Arching a brow I move to stand and listen to their exchange.

Spilt blood. Bodies. Death. Planned.

Their words tease me. They dance before me with meanings that are barely there. Easily they spout from mortal and goddess mouth alike. I feel as if I am drowning in their meaningless speakings.

Others come from all directions to stand before the Goddess of the Moon. A few stand in silence. The first still wags his tongue with flattery. Others converse with the goddess quietly. But one, and only one, stands out to me. For I need no translation for his words.

His words are hard. His words are angry. His words awaken my ears to the meaning of the words I had been unable to let go. His emotion brought me to a truth that left me unsteady on my feet. Lurching to the side I bump into a dark stallion; my world spins so that I am unable to offer him an apology. The stars blur together and the moon suddenly seems to be mournful.

Spilt blood. Bodies. Death. Planned

Then everything goes still. A coldness rushes over me.

My fury carries more weight than that of the moon's sadness or the even the anger if the stallion. I had heard whisperings of the recent events in this land but only now do they make sense.

"Tu es miser et nefarium est apud caelo noctis! Nec mirum, cum usque ad lucem matutinam luna mergit, quae deficere non potest sustinere pondus. Tu Deus qui est infra mortales similian" I am too infuriated to hassle with trying to speak in the Helovian language. If she wishes to refer to herself as a goddess surely she is all knowing enough to know and understand more than one spoken tongue.

Pushing past those garthered I canter to stand hoof to hoof with the moon goddess. Snorting I toss my head and wave my horn in her face. I had pieced together the whispers of the tragic events and the words that the golden stallion and the lavender goddess had spoken. She had brought about the senseless loss of precious lives. The Goddess of the Moon had planned the killings.

"Persolvetis. Dabis tua praesumendi. Si ita feceris, ut mihi ipse!" My eyes bore into her own and flash with a challenge.

Now I turn from her and look to the stallion that had seemed prepared to kiss the ground that her hooves fell upon. "Stulte!" I spit my words at him for he is not worth my time. "Ut canis ad pedes domini et humiliatum." I wish for words that his thick skull would be able to take in and make sense of but rage has me grasped firmly in hand. The injustice of the events this so called goddess has me in fits. Did those she caused death to fall upon ever worship her? Why does this stallion still offer his loyalty to one so vile?

Standing between the goddess of the moon and the stallion with stercore for brains I pant with exertion.

Translations :

"Tu es miser...."||"You're a miserable disgrace to the night sky! No wonder the moon sinks away for morning light, she is unable to bear the weight of your failure. You are a god that is below the likes of mortals."

"Persolvetis...."||"You will pay for your rash actions. If I have to make you do so myself!"

"Stulte! Ut canis...."||Fool! You grovel like a dog at his master's feet.

Stercore||Sh*t