Hold on to me because I'm a little unsteady

Naerys had, perhaps blissfully, missed the first two battles. Considering the pain and injuries she received from the last two, she couldn't imagine the state she'd be in now. The burns extending up her back legs to her hocks were bad enough. Then there was the heavy bruising on her left side and her right shoulder - the cherry on top of her wounded sundae. Somehow, though, after the first fight she almost thought it all would have been worth it if her efforts had been recognized. Even just a 'hey kid, you did good' from one of the gods. Yet, she'd gotten nothing. In her foolish youth, she'd been jealous of the ones on the receiving end of the Gods praise and gift-giving. But by the second fight, after what had happened to Mauja... none of that mattered anymore. Suddenly she saw how stupid it was to want some absurd token - a physical piece of the fallen god's corpse. The very thought repulsed her now, made her stomach roll.

The slender girl, normally pristine and pretty, is still coated with the signs of war as she leaves the islands with the intent to go home. Her flowers had done little to protect her fur from the pool of blood she'd lain in with Mauja as she attempted to comfort him. The fur on her legs and belly were coated with dried blood and sand; even her tail is stringy and clumped together. She's a mess but it doesn't matter. What matters now is getting home. Mother, she knew, would be looking for her and though the black and white doctor is rarely, if ever, openly furious with the girl - Naerys certainly didn't want to discover her breaking point. The only problem is the pain in her shoulder. With her legs so thoroughly abused as they were, walking home is out of the quesiton but with the injury to her shoulder, flying home would require frequent stops to rest.

The ancient rotunda is her second stop. The place where she'd found her companion egg and watched it hatch. The same place where her father's companion egg hatched. That strange structure hidden amongst the greenery held a special place in her young, tender heart. Logically, it was a good place to stop for a quick rest. Her brightly hued eyes scan the tree tops for an opening large enough for her to land without further injury. It doesn't take her long and within moments the young girl is descending, flapping her wings at just the right angle to ensure a much more gentle landing. But as her hooves connect to the ground, her eyes land upon the golden figure of a stallion. He is larger than her and seemingly virile - his strength, whether she is wounded or not, could overpower her. Suddenly, she's even more aware of her injuries and the frantic throb of her heart in her chest. Could she escape quietly before he'd ever notice? For a second she considered taking off again but the burning pain in her shoulder instantly disagreed with the notion. Instead, she remains frozen to her spot with her teal eyes glued to the unknown stallion as the purple and white flowers spring up around her hooves.

The girl swallows hard, more cautious than she usually was due to her unusually beat up appearance. She forces herself to stand a little straighter and somehow manages to keep herself from quivering. "Hello." she manages to say with far more force and confidence than she would have thought possible in her current state. Despite the torrent of fear and anxiety swelling within, her voice is steady and she holds herself in check. There would be no visible signs of her distress, no weakness so readily on display for the stranger. Maybe it was stupid of her, maybe she should have turned and fled when she had the chance but there's something in her DNA that just won't allow her to. Naerys is not a coward.

NAERYS