|
Back to routine, she thought to herself, her first night back having consisted of a broken rest and fond conversation with her oldest friend, Psyche, and the subsequent days had been spent recovering from her long journey, paired with extensive baths in the steaming springs to rinse and cleanse her body of the permeating odors of the outside species. She was now a shining example of what Illynx could pull off in terms of "looking good," her deep bay coat glistening in the muted sunlight that filtered through the overlaying clouds, black tresses supple and iridescent as they streamed behind her; the tail of which she was so proud trailing across the ground even as she raised it to avoid such things, mane extending past her chest. Light curls brushed through the strands, a single golden lock drawn from her upper neck to match the tendrils of smoke etched across her nearly black pelt. But most beautiful of all the attributes of the feisty woman was her golden horn, spiraling out from her elegantly crafted face to a dangerous and well kept tip.
Today, Illynx made simple patrols of the Basin in search of intruders, old faces, and new. She had been gone for long enough to have to relearn them all, every one of their elite band foreign to her now, not something she wished to admit out loud. Illynx was the type to have everything under control, and if not, she would attempt to put on the facade that she was. And thus, we find her with head held high, steps haughty and full of self importance, strolling about the edges of her home. Her golden eyes shone in the afternoon sunlight, her back slightly glazed in particles of snow and ice, proving her last bathing session was at least a day prior. It was one of the things she had forgotten far too easily being away from home - how bitterly, viciously cold it was here, so cold that even in fall the frost crept over you like a boulder should one remain still for too long. Every so often, a snap from her luxurious tail or the simple motions of her steps broke the gem-like water structures loose, leaving a cloud of sparkles behind her when they escaped.
"Hello?" her head turned at the simper on the wind, blackened ears pivoting atop her crown to focus in on the sound; the entrance. The stranger had just passed through the ice caverns that led up to the Basin itself, and she was sure that whoever had spoken was now wondering if the person who had told her that others lived here had been playing a sick, cruel joke. If she hadn't have been born in Helovia and known that this mountain had existed, she perhaps would have drawn that conclusion herself. It didn't seem the most pleasant place to live, but she had found that their secluded location had allowed the unicorns to thrive, blooming in the frigid air like ice flowers in the wee hours of the morning. Illynx increased her pace, a long gate canter carrying her slender frame over ruts and bumps, slick patches of ice, down a familiar and worn path to greet this newest arrival. A quick scent to the wind read unicorn, and no odors of the Basin upon her; not a threat, perhaps, but still a thing to be toyed with.
She spotted the bay mare ahead after not much searching, amused ever slightly by the similarities between the pair of them. Where Illynx was gold pointed, this mare was black, her horn a shining ebonite spear. As usual, the golden trimmed femme eyed down this trinket, admiring the perfection that was their species; what other women were so beautiful, so flawless, but the ladies of Cinnoru's blood? She drew to a halt some five foot before the other, sure to keep a respectable distance for the both of them, a snort followed by a trail of hot breath escaping her nostrils. Her head bobbed down, nose tucking towards her chest in an elegant nod of welcome, black forelock tossed leisurely from her face where it had been planted in her rush to the gates. "Welcome," she purred, voice syrupy and sweet in the frigid air, a thin trail of breath visible from her parted lips, "Might I inquire your name? I am Illynx, a corporal of this herd." She smiled, sweetly, a trick to lure the innocent little one into her snares. Oh, do wish to be my friend, dearest, she thought to herself, her face a mask of perfect kindness, innocuous interest in a new arrival. But it was much more than that, her golden eyes burning with a keen curiosity as to how this precious arrival could be used to further her own means, and those of the Basin. "I assume you have traveled here from the Threshold," as you reek of pegasi and equine, she thought to finish her statement, a soft sniff causing her nose to wrinkle in distaste as it was overwhelmed by the pungent and distasteful stench of the scourge.
|
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
