A gust of freezing air hits her in the face, and Nasreen’s heart quickens. Could it be…? Hooves strike stone as she canters recklessly through the dim, narrow passageway that snakes off of the main cavern. In reality, she’s only been here for a few weeks, but to her, it feels as if she’s been trapped belowground for an eternity. Wings stretch in anticipation, and copper feathers rustle—they are eager to be of service once more.

The mare rounds a corner, and a short burst of ecstasy leaves her throat. She sees light. Orange beams filter through a split in the rock. The crevice is barely wide enough to let her through, but the lass is slender from her time in the cave. She has had little to eat here in the darkness, and her ribs are beginning to show. Adrenaline fueling her, she squeezes out into the world, not caring about how the rocky walls scrape against her sides, leaving long red scratches on her white flanks. She is free.

The first rays of daylight greet her, and her breath catches in her throat as she witnesses the first sunrise she’s seen in weeks—from the top of a mountain cliff, no less! Tears of gratitude and relief fill her eyes, and alone, Nasreen lets them fall. As the sun climbs progressively higher in the sky, her tears subside. Shivering slightly, she looks around, realizing that winter has come to Helovia during her time underground. Fresh snow dots her surroundings, and she can see her breath in the chilly morning air. A broad smile stretches across her face: it’s time to warm up. Dramatically, she spreads her wings…and throws herself off of the cliff.

No sooner has she done this than panic strikes. She hasn’t flown in so long that at first, she fears that she has forgotten how—why aren’t her wings working?! The air rushes past, pulling her useless feathery appendages up above her ears, and she screams. The trees at the base of the rock face are growing closer and she closes her eyes at the sickening sight. Is this how it will end, after finally escaping? Irony is a funny thing.

At the last second, instinct takes over, and with a surge of adrenaline her wings pull themselves into a powerful downstroke, saving her from the treeline. Her grey eyes snap open, and nearly hysterical laughter bubbles from her throat. She’s alive! Breathlessly, she clumsily flaps her way into the sky, working her way eastward, in the direction of the rising sun. Th’orqui, here she comes!

She has not flown more than half an hour though, when she begins to tire. Her wings, achy from disuse, grow heavy, and Nasreen looks down, reluctantly seeking a landing place. Fear still lingers at the back of her mind; the last time she was on the ground outside of the cave, a nightmarish creature had attacked…Kahlua? As if her thoughts had conjured up her friend herself, Nasreen is shocked to see the tiny black and white figure far below her. “Kahlua!” she calls excitedly, but she is too far above for her voice to possibly carry. Hurriedly, she begins to circle, picking a break in the trees to aim for as a landing ground. Hurry, hurry, hurry…! Nasreen repeats to herself, in time with her frantic wingbeats. She must see if her friend is all right. A pang of guilt strikes her as she recalls how quickly she took to the sky as soon as the nightmare appeared, giving little thought to the very mare who had harbored her in the Edge. ”Kahlua!” she calls again, but she is not quite on the ground yet, and the mare is moving ahead and out of the trees. It is too late to change direction, so Nasreen concentrates on her landing. With a dull thud, she makes contact with the earth, very nearly losing her balance. She is out of practice, but she has no time to focus on her protesting hooves, which bore the brunt of the impact. ”Kahlua!”

Nasreen rushes through the trees. She has lost sight of her companion, but she knows that she must be somewhere ahead--ah! Reaching the edge of the treeline, she bursts through the brush. The sight before her startles the young mare. A little ways ahead, a small gathering has congregated. Kahlua is there, all right, but she is not alone. A flaming stranger stands imposingly above the others, atop what Nasreen recognizes as familiar: a shrine. Kahlua had spoken of the gods to her before…could this be…? From her friend’s humble posture, Nasreen guesses it is. A fluttering gasp escapes her parted lips, and she draws closer, head down.

When she reaches the edge of the group, she mimics the black and white mare’s behavior, bowing low. She is curious to catch a glimpse of this god’s face, but her reverence and fear win out. Nasreen keeps her eyes low, only seeing the light that the flaming deity casts onto the rocks around them. Has he brought the sun back to this land?

“O deity most high,” she murmurs, Th’orquian accent clear and pronounced. “It is truly an honor.”

wishlist: [Magic: Fire x Time | ability to create stars during a full moon (1x/per real month) through an intricate flight dance]