Some places had an air about them that was quite different from others. He had come across several during his long years of travel, and none were similar to another. As Lace limped through the tall grasses of the Heart for the third time, he couldn't help but feel that this was one such place.

It didn't look much. A sea of grass stretching endlessly in all directions, wilted and dry now that winter was taking a firmer grasp on the land but close enough to the warmth of the glowing pit to stave off any snow. It could have been like any grassland, if it weren't for a sense of timelessness that prickled his mind, like the tall grasses prickled the skin under the belly and brushed across the gray winter coat. That, and the maw of fire that opened in the center of the region, glowing and radiating heat even from a distance.

The stallion followed in the wake of the white dragon as she soared across the sky, happy to let her guide him away from their new home and all it brought of people and company. It had been many years since he had been part of a group, and used to his own company as he was the stallion had quickly begun to feel restless, crowded. He had only lingered long enough to clean up after the battle and make sure that his leg wouldn't cave in on him before he was off, seeking solitude and finding it under a wintry sky littered with roving clouds.

Is there an end to the grass anytime soon? he questioned through the bond he shared with the slender lizard, not so much impatient as he was unsettled by the sea of grass that could hide anything from other horses to predators. He was just barely tall enough to see over the dry tip of the strands, and while able to walk again his leg was far from healed enough to allow any running or fighting.

An image of an endless horizon was sent back to his mind, broken only by a plume of smoke and ash that rose a good distance ahead of them. Lace sighed, realizing that it would take some time yet before they got there. Was he eager to get there? Well, the first time he ever set foot in the area he had been burned alive after intruding upon a meeting between the Helovian Gods, so maybe he wasn't exactly rushing to get there. The gilded strands of hair that covered the back and slipped down the sides had told him everything about the dangers of approaching strange beings without invitation - but, it couldn't be denied that the Heart was one of the warmer places in Helovia. And if it was something the grullo wanted right now it was warmth. Not mist, not snow or biting chill winds. Only a bit of heat to stroke the skin, enough to warm the soul and allow him to stay still for a while and think over the recent events. A lot had transpired that he hadn't planned on, and it felt like he was getting dragged into events without his consent, and worse still; without his knowledge.

A sigh escaped from between sooted lips and with eyes clouded in deep thoughts he moved forward while favoring the left leg, drawing a straight line toward the ashen pillar of promise that marked the center of the world.