There is nothing better than having your potential pray fall to their knees in amazement of you. Of course, then you get to decide whether they are dinner or just another creature to lord over. Now, I'm not saying that I am the mighty regal Queen of Everything and Everyone, although that might be fun. But I do have certain advantages that are not held by many others in Helovia - at least not from what mother told me. A land of talking horses - normal ones, like ones I might prey on, ones with horns, and ones with wings. They are the ones that mainly inhabit Helovia, with a few... others like us that wander to and fro. Of course, I don't intend to hunt down them all, that would just be a waste of time. As long as none of them intend (to attempt) to boss me around, I'm sure we can coexist peacefully. Perhaps even work out an exchange of services now and then.

I wonder if life would have been different, being raised to adulthood by mother.

My ears twitch as I hear hoofbeats approaching. Did I not say that they would come? A female, strong and able, by her scent. My nose crinkles and my whiskers twitch. I raise my head to look at her approaching form, and rise to a sitting a position as she gets closer. I'm sure that no one would be stupid enough to attack a tiger, but you never know - these equines can get some pretty stupid ideas sometimes. Upon her back is what I assume to be a griffin, based on my mother's stories. I've never seen one, but there is no doubt that this is what it is. I stare at it, wondering at its small form and strange hybridization. Well, I like the cat part of it at least. I blink at it in acknowledgment, then turn my attention to the hooved creature it sits upon. Female indeed, and this is one of the ones with a horn on her forehead. Her brownish coat, adorned with goldish markings on her legs and in her black mane. Of course the horn on her head would be golden - am I really surprised? These beasts think so much of themselves sometimes. To my surprise, she addresses me with due respect. Well, if we're going to be civil.

"Illynx." I purr the name, enjoying the uniqueness of it. "I am Saffron. I thank you for your welcome." I do not say that I have known of Helovia since birth, or that I've lived on the outskirts. I do not say that I know of their kind, of the vastness of the land and the variety of personalities that inhabit it. She does not need to know these things. I sit still, watching the mare and her griffin, waiting patiently to see what they do next.