He appeared first as no more than a figure out of the corner of her eye. She turned solid and stood- folded her wings tight to her side and squinted her navy eyes. She saw the old beast was a warrior in an instant; his figure was tattered and torn in places that a peaceful life would not have left ruined. He was more scar tissue than flesh, more lost than found. He seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure why. She knew him but she couldn't say how. Perhaps she'd met him in her wild days- perhaps he'd had some himself.

But regardless of what made them alike, she would not fall apart. As much effort as it took, she swallowed the pain. It wasn't worth it to be weak in front of him. Curiously sassy as ever, Kye lifted her head from between her bonded's wings to look upon the stallion. There was no surprise when the falcon hissed; Xira had expected nothing less of her companion. She let the moments slip by wordlessly, trying to figure out what was going on before her and understand the stallion's presence, but Kye was no use. The obstinate creature had either decided not to help and read the beast's mind, or simply was scared of what his thoughts may have been.

Xira wondered if it was some of both. She herself felt uncomfortable; what was there to say? She knew nothing of his rank or title, she simply knew that he was old and, well... sort of sad. "...Hello, uh, sir," she ended up saying softly. The formal address was reserved only for elders of seeming prodigiousness. And, of course, for moments when manners made more sense than anything else. Those moments had once been rare- now she found them creeping up on her more and more.

Kye was annoyed and annoying. Upon her master's speaking she jerked at Xira's feathers and hissed. The mare winced but did nothing in response; there was nothing to do or say. The hawk continued as if enraged, tugging at mane and fur and feather with an eager and twisted beak. She begged Xira to respond, to reprimand her, to do something.

But the mare was too tired for such games. She stayed on the earth and watched the world around her with navy eyes filled with emotion. She bit her tongue, remembered to correct the stallion. "Sleuth, actually. Sir," came the words, unfamiliar and undeserved. She had truly given in to her chains, hadn't she?

[[Permission for Kye to mind read?]]