He sees fire.
The sight of it terrifies him. He's reminded of the barn aflame, the shouts of humans and the screams of trapped horses, and his ears slam to his head. His eyes roll in fear, his legs shuffling him backwards until his rear hits a tree. The fire is in the shape of a stag, of all things, and something about it tells Badger that he needn't be afraid. But he can't help it, can't fight the tide of heart-thudding fear that grips him. In the corner of his mind, a speck of logic questions why the rain isn't extinguishing the fire, but his last experience in Helovia reminds him that anything is possible here.
To compound the gelding's terror and confusion, a queer fish-like creature floats around nearby, clicking away. Don't come closer don't come closer... Of course it comes closer. A voice tears Badger's eyes away from the flying fish and towards the mare that follows, like a strange herd of fish, horse and deer. She has wings - because why not - but her body language puts the black at ease, and with another rain-induced shudder he forces himself to relax. Thank goodness she didn't approach him last time, else he would have keeled over at the sheer sensory overload of so many things at once. At least he is now somewhat accustomed to horses having wings, if not floating fish and burning deer. He drags in a deep breath, reminding himself that he had to expect anything here, and had to get used to all things odd if he was to fit in.
He manages to look at the mare, his eyes lingering slightly south of her own so as not to stare. Staring is a sign of dominance, after all, and Badger doesn't have it in him to dominate anybody right now. "I've...been better," he confesses, snorting and side-eyeing the dolphin and the fire-stag. "Wh...what's with the fish and the stag?" he questions, head tilted back to eye the trio warily. His forelock - so disgustingly tatty after weeks without grooming - flops pitifully against his sodden halter as he jerks his head around to keep all of them in sight.
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