She blinked, and it was a new day.

Or it was a new place, or something - she wasn't quite sure where she was, or how she had come to be there, or how long she had been gone. One moment, she had been patrolling the edges of the Dragon's Throat, and now... now she was here. Wherever here was.

She felt woozy, as though she had been away from the oasis for too long and hadn't been able to stay properly hydrated. Her head spun, but not really - she could see clearly, but her mind was dizzy, and it was something new that she hadn't ever really experienced before. The heat was heavy and wet, pressing down on her where she leaned against a tree in the middle of a forest that she had never seen before. Vines strung themselves from branch to branch above, hanging down into the remarkably open forest floor. She didn't recognize the plants, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognized this as strange.

Astraeus was curled into a ball on her withers, tangled in his bonded's twisted locks. He felt little better than did the pegasus and thus elected to merely tuck his head beneath his wing and cling tighter to the mare's mane with his talons.

She found herself panting and realized that she needed to go somewhere. Simply standing around, waiting for someone to come along and direct her to the nearest landmark, was not going to be particularly effective. Her gaze flickered to the thick treetops, and she wondered how the fluttering birds above could even breathe in the damp heat that permeated her surroundings.

Okay, time to move.

She heaved herself away from the tree and stumbled forward unceremoniously, as though she had forgotten how to walk. (Why was she so weak?) But she dragged herself onward all the same, pressing through the tree trunks and bushes and vines until she came upon a sort of clearing. On the other side, a mountain climbed into the sky, and she took a moment to trace its lines upward, tilting her head to get a look at its peak and sighing in awe at its magnificence. But she did not linger, for in the middle of the clearing was water, and gods did she need to drink.

She waded into the shallow pool, greedily immersing her muzzle and sucking up liquid. A small part of her mind recognized that she should not drink so quickly, for she hadn't a clue how long she had been dehydrated; and so she forced herself to pause, licking her lips and watching the ripples longingly. Behind her, Astraeus had lowered himself into the shallows and was preening, flicking water this way and that as he cleaned the dust from his feathers. With a smile, she quickly did the same, splashing and shaking until her coat was pristine again. She took one last drink before pulling herself from the pond.

The mare settled down to graze, Astraeus perched upon her neck, running his beak through her mane to detangle it. When she had her strength back, she would take to the skies and figure out exactly where she was. For now, however, she intended to simply enjoy the beauty of the forest (even if it was far too humid for her liking).

"Talk talk talk."
Astraeus.

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