Megaera was no stranger to the cold; tundra-born had made her well used to the harsh winds and cold bite of Frostfall, but she was not well suited for it. Her sire’s folk had been thick bodied and hot blooded, bred to thrive in the harsh domain, but Meg had been born with too much of her mother’s desert blood and had always sought warmer climates. That had been one of the attractions that this land held when she had first come here. The desert oasis and the creatures that had dwelled there had taken her in, welcomed her, began to sooth her restless heart. And how had she thanked them?

By leaving?

The shame of it still boiled fresh inside her. She had gone with noble intentions. Helovia had been taken by the darkness, herds had been torn apart and she had set out for one of the only sources of hope she’d held for the land. Meg had gone to find Goucho, the Sultan that had welcomed her and the General in the resistance against the spreading pestilence. When no sign of the stallion had been found in Helovia, the young warrior had ventured west to the Lands Beyond, and she’d found nothing. Not her Sultan, nor any other who could help the lands she’d made her home. Weeks of searching had turned to months and Meg’s options and excuses dwindled, but she dared not return. Had it been cowardice? It certainly felt like it… what could she do to hold back the darkness? She had thought of only grief and death whenever she knew she should turn back. The months had passed, and only by the changing of the seasons could she mark the time and when just over a year had passed the young soldier’s pride and sense of duty had overcome her fear and her shame. Megeara had turned for home without knowing if that home would be there to welcome her.

The land had changed. Where once had soared over a vast rocky space to reach the life-giving oasis of Dragon’s Throat, now she saw only a narrow way beneath her. As she moved farther into Helovia, her fear of the Darkness that had driven her out faded, the light must have prevailed, but a new fear grew, would the herd still dwell in the desert? Who would have survived the wraiths and assuming they had, Megaera feared they would no longer welcome her. She wanted so much to return to the home she had begun to make for herself, but she could not find fault with them if they cast her out, a coward and traitor. Still, she had to try, perhaps in time she could earn back respect, from the heard, and from herself.

It was mid-day when she came to the place where the land bridge widened and she aimed her body towards the ground, touching down in a flurry of feathers. The mare stood facing the oasis to the south, hesitating. What courage I can still claim, don’t fail me now! But Meg was determined and with her wings tucked tight about her to protect from the nip in the air she set out for either happiness or humiliation.