Alina the burned dove had traveled far these last few weeks. Her intentions to explore the land had been interfered with at the very first stop on her journey. At Helovia’s Heart she had met a buttermilk hornless unicorn for whom she had felt pity. She had taken his hostility as frustration at his own plight, but when she had tried to comfort him he had unleashed his explosive magic and burnt her chest, belly and the inside of her legs. Now her raw skin was half healed, but it still hurt with every step she took and she worried that her hair would never grow in again. And if she lacked hair when Frostfall came it was likely she would freeze to death.

From Helovia’s Heart she had fled into the darkness of the Deep Forest and after that she had ended up at the Thistle Meadow. But now she was home again.

The dove woke with the borders of the Dragon’s Throat far behind her, but not far enough for her to be able to detect the glittering oasis. She had arrived at the herdland the previous night, but she had been too tired to complete her travel and so she had decided to spend the night under a red cliff. When she woke the sun had already climbed pretty high in the sky, but at least Alina felt thoroughly rested - even though she had been sleeping standing up so that she wouldn’t get sand in her half healed wounds.

It was slightly less painful to fly than it was to walk, but to get up in the air hurt so much that one time she had even fainted from the ordeal. And to climb up in the sky from the flat desert floor was hard even without injuries like the ones she had. Thus she chose to walk the last leg of her journey.

While grimacing from pain she stiffly put one tan hoof in front of the other and slowly she worked up her speed to that of a normal walk. Lucky for the dove it wasn’t long before she could spot the palm trees, the cactuses and the water of the oasis. A happy little nigh escaped her as she saw a familiar, gray frame drinking from the watering hole. Virus! The sudden expansion of her lungs caused her pain though and she grunted softly.

As she came closer another stallion, this one winged, stepped in to her field of vision. Even though Alina hadn’t met him before she knew by description that this was her other Sultan. Gaucho she had met when the big dun saved her from a sea monster, but not Midas. She suddenly felt really small, as she always did when she was in the presence of a higher ranking horse. Even though she had found that the Lords and Ladies of the Throat was much less pompoms than those of the Hölscheron herd she still had that feeling that she must be careful with her words and show her respect properly. Old habits die hard.

However her joy of seeing Virus again pushed aside both her pain and her worries. She picked up her pace and joined the duo with a smile on her lips; be it a pained smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Virus, my friend! I am so glad to see you again." she said and arched her neck over his withers in a soft embrace. Taking a step back her face took on a look of concern at how thin the stallion was. Polite as she was, she didn’t mention it, but her worry shone through her emerald eyes.

She turned then to her Sultan, knowing that she should have greeted him first she started her introduction with an apology. "I beg your pardon, Milord. I am Alina Josephina, Skuggi recruited me and Virus at the beginning of Tallsun and I should have sought you out sooner to extend my thanks to you for giving me a new home. I am forever grateful, Milord."

[ooc; Sorry for tha wait Vivid! <3 And yaay! Alina has now met both her Sultans! :D]