The great pillar of fire was one constant in her home that Amaris found fascinating in its endless depths of warmth and light, constant in its ever changing, moving, seemingly fluid motion. The power that emanated from it was surely something to be revered, worshipped, respected - even feared in appropriate amounts. Though the girl knew the need for balance in the world (the teachings of her mother weren't for nothing, after all), a dragon's affinity for fire was something she simply could not ignore. For wasn't she more dragon than even her mother, who held the ability to shift into a golden dragoness? Wasn't she, a hybrid, a dragonell halfling more prone to be fascinated by the arts and allures of fire than her shadowy, devious, queenly mother?

Something else caught her attention, and her golden gaze, turned a fiery hue from the reflection of the mighty pillar, turned to the sky, where mighty arcs of light and dragons of fire danced. Movement around her further alluded to the meaning behind the signal - a herd meeting, a gathering, an exchange of information. A chance to learn, to familiarise oneself with one's herd - Amaris tried to look forward to such an event, but mostly, she felt that same old anxiety and shallow fear rise up within her, that indignant sensation of knowing she would be stared at, judged for the scales upon her champagne hide rather than the heart that beat within her breast. A sigh left her lips, even as her slender limbs pushed her to the skies, leathery wings snapping out from her sides to catch her weight and ride the thermal until it delivered her closer to the group.

It was a small comfort, at least, to recognise some faces, even names to go alongside them. The dragonmare offered smiles to those she knew, and those she did not, but instead of lowering her tiara and cowering like she used to, her nape was arched, her crown held proudly before her chest. The girl had grown, seemingly overnight, transforming from a gangly filly-girl into more of a shapely mare, with curves and glistening scales covering her hide. The golden queen within her was having a greater influence every day - the girl, despite everything she felt, walked with a confident step and swinging gait, pausing once she was near enough to hear the announcements with ears pricked and eyes fixed upon the Wildfire.

What she heard, at first, was regular information - change of ranks, shifting of duties. Amaris offered her own low purring croons of congratulations to those who deserved it, but she settled quickly to hear this other news Gaucho had for the herd.

What she heard stole the smile from her lips, and the fire behind her eyes sharpened as she listened to the betrayal the herd of the Edge was waging against their own Goddess. The dragonmare had just been admiring the Sun Lord's power, but she had been born in the World's Edge, raised in its shadows, she knew and understood its power almost as much as she did that of the Sun Lord - she was disappointed in the herd's actions. Though she in no way approved of the Moon Goddess' actions, she could not imagine abandoning the patron deity of one's home for any reason. The girl's mind recalled stories her mother told her, of an endless drought, where the land was scorched and burned to a crisp by the very God who had blessed their leader to the status of Ascended - surely the Moon Goddess' actions were a way to balance out that insult of years ago. Time healed all wounds and fogged the memories of those who would forget, but Amaris wished she could tell them to stop in this madness, this act that would surely tip the balance of their precarious equilibrium…

But there was nothing she could do, but listen, in a sad silence, as the world slowly but surely unravelled all around her.