Morrigan

Hunger had driven us to find something a little more substantial than a few measily dry shrubs that littered the Dragon's Throat, the desire for something different to taste pushing us deeper into the mainland of Helovia. It wasn't exactly a quick journey, and Pongo certainly didn't appreciate the roadtrip given by the frustrated emotional wave he would share with me every now and then. But he certainly wasn't complaining about the variety of vegetation that managed to survive Frostfall, and the thawing snow was just starting to show fresh growth that he greedily gobbled up. A couple times I would scold him, making sure he would leave enough for the plants to continue growing lest we'd all be starving next year. "Don't worry, we're almost there, Pongo." The bongo only rolled his eyes with a look that said 'Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before...'

As the ground began to soften beneath our hooves and the sun began to rise, his mood started to lift enough for him to playfully leap about, splashing mud and slushy snow into the air. His antics brought a smile to my face, an amused chuckle escaping my lips in a hushed tone. Realizing that we were in the Thistle Meadow, I began to shovel away at some of the snow that topped the earth to reveal some of the new grass. I always kept an eye on my companion while I grazed, but I was so grateful for the increased in food that I swear my stomach grumbled with pleasure.

While I was watching Pongo play, occassionally nudging him to keep moving forward, I was caught off gaurd when he came to an abrupt stop. His large doe-like eyes were focused on a figure in the distance, large ears honed in to any little sounds that carried across the meadow. Suddenly, his playful demeanor became much more reserved as he closed in the distance towards my side. Following his gaze, my own scarlet eyes settled on an unfamiliar stallion, noting the spiralled horn atop his crown and something white laying on his back. "Easy Pongo, perhaps he is coming to eat as well."

Pongo wasn't so sure, waiting for me to step in front of him so he could hide before following after me. From beneath my lengthy forelock, I kept a weary eye on the stranger, having learned my lesson years ago to be careful around stallions, be it a stranger or friend. When I approached the ebony and maroon beast, I realized that the strange puff of white on his back was some sort of fox. But when my gaze traveled down to his shoulder, my auds flicked forward with curiosity, brushing against my silver crown. I stopped a short distance away from the pair, feeling Pongo duck his head beneath my belly to eye them. With my crown tilted just slightly to the side, friendly yet nervous words slipped into the air. "Hello, sir...Are, er...Are you alright? I don't mean to be rude, but I noticed your shoulder...Um, I'm a healer for my herd."