I'll be the bright, in black that's makin' you run.

She had decided not to completely heal herself. The sharp pain that radiated through her joints with each step from the slightly fractured left pastern was exactly what she needed to remind herself to be strong. So she did. She bit her tongue. She moved forward. She searched for herbs and she tried to be present unlike how she had been right after Quilyan had disappeared.

But her tears had dried. She was getting used to that sickening feeling of her stomach being wrenched at the thought of him. She was falling numb again - like she had much after Ciro had died. And it is this numbness which radiates a strong fear - one that should have been calling to Quil the entire time he was gone, his key burning into his flesh. She didn't want to be alone, she didn't want to accept that he was gone. Most of all, she didn't want to accept that she had failed, and her raging mind was saying that he left because of that failure. She didn't want to accept that her failure to move past her dead twins meant she might never get a family again…

Today, she was scavenging the Heavenly Fields, trying so desperately to find herbs. Except that desperation wasn't working, because she couldn't concentrate enough to even find some of the herbs that she was supposed to be looking for. Valiance was careening through the skies, vibrantly flashing his feathers, his scales, his dominance that had taken a short turn for the worst as of late. And, it is he who sees her beloved first.

He spins, shooting through the air at a knee-breaking pace and lets out a few puffs of smoke near where the painted pegasus was. Not threatening, just to gather his attention. And, then once he felt Quilyan is aware of the lurking red dragon's presence, he begins to circle him - clicking awkwardly in disbelief. "Quilyan. Here." He says only to have Res shake her head. "Dead. He's dead Valiance. It's the only excuse that explains why he hasn't come back," she cries through the bond, but Valiance continues to insist. And, once he is sure that his mate is grounded, he flashes images of the painted pegasus through their bond.

She jolts, her head shooting up as if something had startled her before spinning on her haunches to face where Valiance had gone to. Not far in the distance she could see her companion soaring and a winged stag along the horizon. She gallops, struggling to get back to the place where he had met her before the invasion of the Foothills, to be reunited once more. It is only when he is in clear view that she slams on the breaks, stopping only a foot or two away from him. Wide eyes take him in as her ear flickers upward.

Joy. Panic. Pain. Betrayal. Concern. Uncertainty. It flashes across her vision - erasing the numbness that had taken over her heart and started to eat it whole. Yet, all she can do is stares. She stares for so long until she feels as though she couldn't stare anymore. "Y-you're not… dead?" she croaks, struggling to find a reason that would explain why he had been missing for so long without even a goodbye.

And, as she struggles, Valiance lands upon her back, tail gently swishing across her spine in an attempt to keep her calm. "Back. He back."

Now, only a few tears can fall….