The cobalt girl was headed north.

She traveled hard, but it was easier making this trip now as the earth was reborn, compared to her initial trek to the Basin. Several seasons ago, the blue mare was hard to look at- sickly thin, fur uneven and rough, weak from being forced from her home after ages of abuse and starvation. She had been found by a member of the Basin, and was provided shelter in exchange for her allegiance and service as a warrior. As Birdsong crept across the land, changing the bitter dead world into a land of green and growth, so had she changed. She had indulged in the sweetness of spring during her time away, and it showed. She had filled out, sleek and healthy. Her coat was more remarkable than ever - white flecks covered her, like stars in the sky, and her blues shone through, shades of cobalt and navy and sapphire spilling over her hide, depending on the way the light reflected over her curves. She had shaken the remainder of her yearling form, now appearing as a grown mare should. And as a warrior should. Her muscles rippled, her form still lithe and delicate, but powerful as ever. Silver eyes glittered with a life that seemed to only flicker when d'Artagnan had found her.

Ki'irha's path was straight and true as she galloped across the land. She was returning to her home in the Basin after an extended absence. Something had possessed her to go and attempt to find her brothers. They were all she had growing up, and she felt as though a piece was missing from her life. She had been separated from them when her family had been rightfully attacked by a herd they had traveled a little too close to. She had escaped, but had last seen her brothers fighting with the unicorns and equines that had fallen upon them that fateful day. Denial was settled in her bones. She didn't want to admit it, and refused to believe it, but her brothers were long dead, and even if not, they would never still be in the area. Still she searched, until she was running for a different reason. It felt nice to stretch her legs, and know she had nothing tying her to the earth. She was free to do as she pleased. She had never felt freedom like this, and it called to her, begged her to run farther and farther, leaving any ties far behind her. But something else clawed at her, urged her to stop and turn around.
You see, as the distance grew longer between the warrior girl and Helovia, the ache in her heart grew stronger. She tried to shake it, tried to cut it out, but she longed for something. One evening, as she sat beneath the dusk sky stained in reds and pinks and golds, she found her mind wandering. She thought of those she had left behind. She thought about her wonderful friends, who she missed dearly, of her memories with the antlered mare Enna and the painted stallion Ashamin. Of life and love, births and deaths. What is a life if not lived beside others who made each moment meaningful?

She couldn't stay away. The Basin was her home, and those who lived there, her family. It was something she had never had. A true family. And she realized that, despite her beloved memories of her brothers, the Basin provided something she needed more than all of the memories in the world.

With that, like the needle of a compass, she pointed her long horn north, and ran. She fattened herself up along the way with the sweet morsels of Birdsong - the lush grasses, the tender flowers, the sweet berries - and knew with each stride, she was closer to where she belonged. Days and nights passed over her, the gods painting exquisite views around her. Weeks passed. The landscape around her grew more and more familiar, especially once she burst through the Threshold where she had started her journey in Helovia, until she was passing over the Frostbreath Steppe. The mountains eventually towered before her, growing from small bumps on the horizon to the looming fortress that protected the herd. She tossed her head, laughing into the air that still was cool despite the change of seasons. She finally began to slow as the sentinels became visible in the distance.

The midnight mare finally slowed to a walk. Her sculpted head was held high and proud, sterling eyes taking in the land that was sprawled before her. Like a caterpillar who had disappeared and re-emerged as a striking butterfly, so the mare returned to the herd. Beautiful and new, a totally new creature carved from muscle and earth and ice and stars, ready to serve and protect and live for this place until her last breath escaped her. A cool breeze ran its fingers through her white mane. Sounds were carried on the wind, echoing softly in her ears. Aromas and scents carried by the gust lingered in her nose. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, coming to a halt. She only had one thought, warm and comforting, settled in her mind. In this moment, nothing mattered. In this moment, she knew where she was.

Home.
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Speech
OOC// I’m baaaack! This is just my reentry thread from my extended absence, just so I have an IC reason for the break. This is open to anyone! And also an interesting way to meet any new warriors who don’t know Ki’irha is the corporal. :D [894 words]
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