There is love in your body but you can't hold it in,
It pours from your eyes and spills from your skin,
Tenderest touch leaves the darkest of marks,
And the kindest of kisses break the hardest of hearts

The realm felt crisp, cool and lush, a lilting song against Lena’s skin, scouring the seething, scathing winds of humidity, feeding the dried earth with the refreshing elements of invigorating air. She moved within this finessed, exhilarating climate like a poised bird floating along the vibrant winds, stroking the solace of the lands with a tender, benevolent nuance; a hushed stir, a soft, latent chord. The tenor of the ice monarch rang over the loam, and for a few moments she tensed, listening, body locked amongst the leaves, relaxing only after she had managed to pinpoint the ruler’s location. They were being summoned, coaxed from the woodwork, the shadows, the sun and moon, children of the precipice – she couldn’t remember a time before arriving to this sanctuary that she’d been heralded, allowed to thrive in the world of her creation. Smiling, easing from her blanket of changing leaves, hues already beginning to unravel from their glorious shades of verdant tapestries, she shifted, altered course, rose from the meandering, petaled footfalls and lengthened strides, increasing the tempo of her whirlwind crescendo. Rising and falling with the curl of the returning, retuned glade, turning and twisting with the rich, lush boughs, until she brushed the outer sector and sprang into the gathered juncture.

She was not the first to arrive, and recognition only dawned upon a scarce few. Her gentle gaze took in the unknown patterns of individuals, from bright red, opulent bay, and cool gray, until her stare finally pinpointed on a distinct blue body. Relaxing, she passed by the other horned, sword-carrying beasts, dipping her head in turn to sovereign and strangers, before drawing herself next to Huyana (and was that a wolf cub?). With a blooming grin, she briefly blew on the flowers she’d tangled in the mare’s mane, nudging her shoulder with her soft maw, pleased to find familiarity, delighted that more souls would be gathered into that thought. Who were they? What did they stand for? And more importantly, what did Mauja have in store for them?