I hadn't taken notice of the shadow following close on my heels, or the thunderous beat of wings until I was flanked by a pale figure, following my strides with each step. My head turns as my name falls from the alabaster lips, my eyes widening as I stop, body lurching forward as my heels dig into the earth. Is this real? Am I dreaming? I feel the tears beginning to pool, body shaking as I try to comprehend what stood before me. Was it really Aurelia? What if I'm just dreaming, and the mare before me is not Aurelia, but a faint memory of her, proving that I've grown so attached to her as she will fade away and leave me shattered upon the floor. "Aurelia?" I let out a hushed whisper, voice strained as I try to keep the knot in my throat from leaving me drowning in my own sorrows.

My body aches and trembles as I hesitantly step forward, my lips twitching as I begin to smile, still unsteady. "It's really you?" I breathe out, my voice wispy as it dances between us. There was no anger or rage, no feelings of deep hatred that I almost expected to appear before me. It was pure relief that washed over me, bathed me in sweetest relief as a weight is pulled from my mind, no longer crushed beneath the many fears I had clung to while Aurelia had been missing. They were gone, pushed away by the tide of sweetest satisfaction. My heart sang soothingly, my eyes no longer pooling with tears of fear but tears of joy, my body no longer shaking as violently as it had been. "Oh my god Aurelia, I've missed you," I step forward in hopes she too had stopped, wanting to bury my face into the crook of her neck if she was to allow.

I smile, looking into her creamy eyes with joy bubbling within mine. "After you left I sought the Earth God..." My ears flicker back, my heart beat growing increasingly faster as I rearrange my words, hesitant to announce what I had told the Earth God. "I prayed to him and he replied..." Swallowing I shift my weight, looking down. "I— I asked him for a quest— so we could... have a family." I pause, breathing quickly in and out, trying to keep myself calm without bursting into a pure boiling ball of emotion. "So if we ever wanted to have a child... you know.. we could." I bring my eyes up hesitantly, giving a small, guilty smile towards Aurelia.
"Talking"