Muscles heaved and pitched beneath a hide of deep mahogany framed in fine, silken ebony threads. A map of her life weaved itself along the outer contours of the mare’s face as she drifted and swayed over the swells of winter’s course landscape into Helovia’s Threshold. It hadn’t been long since she too had stood lonesome at their borders waiting for salvation… and yet here she was again, sloping through the dark trees and their many secrets in hopes of redeeming another lost soul such as herself. With Romul trailing not far behind, the mare surged onwards beneath the warming rays of a cold FrostFall sun. The season seemed to be wearing on into a vast eternity that Essetia prayed would end soon. She longed for the melting of the snow and the greening of the foliage and vivid colors of the wildflowers growing rampant in spring. “Me too, Ess."

Romul’s soft words drifted longingly across their bond and caused the mare to slow down long enough to glance back at the wolf. His tongued lolled from between him lips like a young pup as he panted and wheezed a few steps behind. He wouldn’t admit to his growing fatigue for fear of disappointing the mare as she so often enjoyed the freedom of racing across the plains. However, with a knowing smile curving her thin lips upward, Essetia settled into a comfortable walk that would better suit the canine after miles of trudging through the soft, snowy soil.

As the dense forest sprawled wide before them, the pair moved slowly into the thick shadows that hung from the treetops and toward the Threshold’s heart. They wandered with no particular destination in mind but with Romul scouting out fresh scents as they went, the two were brought quickly to an open clearing toward the eastern borders. The sun’s light had managed to reach the forest floor before them but that was not the only thing Essetia and Romul found interesting. Just inside the glade a Unicorn colt stood grazing on the dead grasses that had been uncovered by the warmth of the sun.

Slowly, the mare hummed to him to announce her entrance and with Romul clinging protectively to her side, she emerged from the tree line. “Hello and welcome to Helovia… I don’t suppose you’re looking for shelter, hm?” A soft, slow smile turned her lips upward once more and she nodded toward Romul with a dip of her face before adding, “I’m Essetia and this is Romul.”