The sound of hooves in a forest known for it's multitude of strangers was sure to attract attention. Newcomers were rivaled in numbers only by those who sought to procure them to strengthen the numbers of their own herds, to further their own agendas - and the rare few who actually roamed the shaded region in search of someone to help.

Shadow had no illusions on what group she belonged to. It was duty that brought her to the hot, dry forest that suffered beneath the relentless glare of the sun, and perhaps a secret, hidden desire to escape the merciless red desert that she was so ill suited for. She hadn't needed an order to take action, didn't bother the new Sultan with the quickly dwindling numbers of the herd - Midas was surely aware of this already. No, the Shadow was perfectly capable of remedying this slight problem herself, no matter how much she disliked the task of coercing naive strangers to follow and obey.

Violet eyes regarded the gray stallion critically from her perch high up in the canopy. He lacked wings, which was unfortunate, and the horn upon his brow was enough to make the black raven wary. She'd had little good interaction with unicorns, knew only too well how dangerous their sharp spears were; her body carried the marks of them, a long jagged scar under her belly a telltale sign of how close she had been to loose her life.

But, it couldn't be helped. The herd she lived with didn't discriminate between races, and thus it wouldn't do for her to allow the northerners to snatch this one away before she'd had a go at him. With a sigh the little pegasus slipped off the branch and spread her raven wings wide, slowly ascending in tight spirals until hard, solid hooves touched upon the ground. Folding the massive appendages to her sides she tucked away the prize she had taken from the enemy who dared to harm her, hiding the brown, branchlike horn beneath a well-tucked wing; then she approached the gray with unconcerned ease, openly scrutinizing him as she came closer.

"Well met, stranger" she said with a curt nod, cutting the chase before there could be any doubt about why she was there. "You are new in these lands, I presume? I know a place where you can rest and heal your wounds, recuperate and find a purpose. My name is Skuggi, I hail from the Dragon's Throat far south of here where Midas the Gallant rule. What is your name?"

Tact.. for one of her profession it was necessary, but today the blackbird was in no mood for subtleties. She had made her offer; the unnamed stud could either take it or leave it.