As the bay mare faltered Cassiopeia lurched forward almost automatically as if in attempt to keep her from falling. It was a superfluous motion however - a quick, yet minor gesture, serving no useful purpose other than to evince her concern. It was little more than a partial stride forward with her right foreleg, wings inadvertently unfurled part way. She soon recovered however and responded to her inquiry as though nothing had happened, hardly missing a beat and therefore Cassiopeia saw no reason to re-arouse her embarrassment by offering any sort of apology. Otherwise, she most certainly would've.
The mare bowed her head, simulating the movement previously actioned by the roan. She took a moment to study this stranger, albeit courteously. Cyan eyes never departed from her face as she observed her features, taking note of the lengthiness of her mane and forelock. Her pigment was a common one; austere, and yet she was admittedly pretty. She stood taller than Cassiopeia by nearly a hand and she appeared to be about the same age as well. Her scent was unfamiliar to the dame, which was to be expected of a newcomer. It spoke of foreign lands; a dulcet aroma - as was common of mares, it would seem - and it was greatly reminiscent of an odoriferous pine. She spoke then and the cobalt maiden pricked her ears forward, hearken to the others words as each fell from charred lips.
"Some of us are more prone to it than others, it seems. It would appear as though its presence is rather inevitable." Cassiopeia occasionally felt as though she gravitated it. In this past year alone she had managed to fracture her wing twice - once from an aerial collision with another of her own kind and the other the result of an unfortunate encounter with a cougar - narrowly escaped the cursory destructiveness of fire when set loose on parched soil and eluded the injurious clutches of a giant basilisk. She couldn't decide if luck was on her side, for all had been close encounters, or if the ineffable phenomenon was against her. She wasn't even sure if she believed in such a thing as luck.
Noticing the stranger's eyes anchored on her wings she ruffled them gently, repositioning them ever slightly atop the sloping contours of her back. A few moments of silence slunk by and Cassiopeia observed the mare curiously, eyes narrowed the slightest degree. It would appear as those this mare was a prisoner of her mind's own thoughtful prison but soon enough she spoke, announcing her name. "No need to be sorry. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cassiopeia, and the land you stand within is known as Helovia." She gestured with a vague toss of her chiseled face to the forest encompassing them; to the trees which towered many feet above their heads and to the realm which spanned far beyond their vision. Helovia was vast, indeed.
A plume of smoke curled from her maw and she regarded the stranger with an inquisitive expression plaited across her distaff features. She inhaled softly before a simple phrase dribbled from her lips: "From where do you arrive?" Eloquence was something that came naturally to the dame and each word was uttered with a genteel prosody. "If you so desire, I could lead you to one of the herd lands."
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The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. [Complete]
