The Doctor accepted his role as tour guide; he had done it many times before with each journey never quite the same as the last, the different companionship made for often interesting conversation. Though little had been said so far between him and the young black mare who accepted his offer of home. She reminded him a little of his young self, first fleeing exile and then fleeing shadow, yet, he too had yearned for something solid to return with a patch of land to call home. It was like a permanent sense of safety was preferred rather than the hectic fear of living rough. However, things never quite settled down the way he imagined and still he got caught up in fights here and there. The Nightshade wouldn’t have it any other way. Too much peace dulled the senses.

After she had finished relieving an itch on a handy tree, the Doctor walked towards Ki’irha and attempted to approach her right side. The more energy she had the easier it would be for the trek back. Slowly, as not to startle her, he tried to place his sooty velvet nose on her shoulder whilst gathering the magic of time. It was easy to use now, like music in his head that flowed so simply, so instinctively and shifted outward towards the body of the young mare. Turning the cogs of time back, feeding energy into her body that was starved of it and healing any small injuries she may have gained on the way. Meticulously, he restored her back to travelling health and, when he had finished, took a deep breath and stepped back. "Follow me, I’ll talk along the way" he ushered her northwards and began walking whilst thinking of ways to start.

Where to begin.

He wasn’t a great a storyteller, he often left out details and skimmed over areas he found boring. He was also quite matter-of-fact, this happened and then that happened. No imaginative flair or magical embellishment. In the end he started with the herd, the past could be told sometime later, but the present was far more useful. At least, d’Artagnan thought so. "The Aurora Basin has a patron God, the God of Time. There are three other Gods also present throughout Helovia, you’ll most likely run into them now and then. Do be careful, getting too involved with them can be… Hazardous." His voice almost seemed to ripple and snarl like he had a bad taste in his mouth. The shade’s Godly run in was a story all in itself.

"The Basin’s day to day running is left to Deimos and Ophelia, the Lord and Lady. From there a ranking system is in place where the heads of discipline come next, they generally serve as advisers to the leader in charge and teach those under them" he paused and turned his head to consider the mare "on that thought, do you have a favoured discipline? Spying, healing, fighting… You don’t have to, but there are roles you can take up" though she could remain a simple herd dweller if she wanted.

The Mender continued the journey as day turned to night, past the Hidden Falls and up into the colder air of the mountain range. As he got to the Frozen Arch, the aurora borealis glittering in the sky, he spoke of the battle for the Falls not so long ago, it wasn’t a detailed report, he hadn’t been there after all. Just small details, they marched with the Edge, they won, though had little to show for it. d’Artagnan’s indifference shone through his words although he was more than quite content with the prisoner they had claimed. "Peace can be fleeting here sometimes, I would keep a good polish on your combat skills" he informed gruffly, hoping she was not too gentle of heart, it was a luxury one couldn’t always afford here.

He passed through the Frozen Arch after some time and found Aramis in the Frostbreath Steppe. The hound jogged over to him and continued the rest of the way by his side. Together they found the entrance to the Aurora Basin a day later and followed it down past the sentinels and to the bottom where they came to a halt in front of the permafrost ground that rolled out before them. "Welcome to the Aurora Basin" he finished.

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@[Ki'irha]
** Just a quick note! d'Artagnan's current IC knowledge is that Ophelia is still Lady, he doesn't know about the change in leadership yet :3