Astrid

The change of the season was rejuvenating for Astrid. The dead of winter, with its silence and snowfalls, had allowed Astrid to mourn in peace. There had been very few souls in the Threshold because of winter’s icy grip, and even fewer were brave enough to stick around long enough to make small talk. The few that had stuck around were easy to dodge once Astrid found an excuse that allowed her to slip away. Not that she hated having company; it was quite opposite, in fact. Astrid was often a social butterfly, but how could people be so blind to the bleeding heart she held? She wanted to mourn for her late mother and for the brave, loyal soldiers who had died. She wanted to bury her wounded heart so she could keep carrying on. She owed that much to all the souls lost on that bloody battlefield. She would carry on and honor the sacrifices they all had made that day.

While the snow had melted away and silence gave way to bird songs, the new season could easily be a period of rebirth. Astrid had to admit that she felt worlds better after letting everything go – well, almost everything. There was still a heaviness in her heart, but no longer did she feel like the weight of the world was crushing her. With a sigh, Astrid’s golden and black body leaned heavily on her left wing as blue grey eyes fluttered opened. Black ears twisted about on her skull, picking up the rustle as someone, or rather a mare once Astrid’s stormy eyes landed on her, approached at a safe distance. Astrid’s skull tilted slightly, matching the casual lean of her body, ignoring the fact it caused silver-blonde strands of her forelock to fall over her eyes messily. “Why hello there!” she chirped brightly, before offering the other mare a crooked, easy-going smile. “What brings you out to these parts?”

Before Astrid could get the satisfaction of an answer, a shadow passed overhead and caught her attention. Out of instinct, Astrid’s golden and black body drew itself up, muscles coiled tight to react if it was a threat. Despite her time spent out of an army, it had done little to affect her military training. Astrid’s oversized wings drew close to her body, as they were no longer being used to support her body weight, though it did little to dwarf their size. Stormy eyes assessed the other quickly and after realizing it wasn’t a threat, but rather just another mare to join the party, Astrid’s frame relaxed. “A pleasure, Elsa,” she replied, her smoky voice warm despite how tense she had been moments before. “My name is Astrid. While I don’t know about the other lovely lady with us, I’ve been lurking about for a while now.”

"Speech!" Thoughts

notes: @[Morrigan] @[Elsa]