The girl and her mother picked their way easily through the wooded Threshold, Aleta following in Sohalia's footsteps to better avoid obstacles. It had been nearly a month since her birth, and still she could not handle even the barest of touches on her skin. She had long since discovered that the Transcended made an excellent bulldozer, and as such she had taken to shyly following in her mother's footsteps. Despite this, the lightning girl found herself entranced by her surroundings; each time they ventured forth from the Hidden Falls (usually the result of the filly's insistent pleas), she looked about with glee, longing for a taste of something besides the crashing cascades and rocky landscape of home.

That is not to say that Aleta did not enjoy living with her mother and father in the Falls - no, she was quite fond of her home, even with the migraines that often accompanied her times beside the roaring waters. She had a tendency to stay deep within the land, away from the noise, but it was boring there. She wanted to explore, but she couldn't go anywhere quite yet without her mother's guidance. And so had she begged, pleaded, and thrown a tantrum or two, and Sohalia had reluctantly acquiesced to her youngest daughter's demands.

Today was a cold day, but the filly barely noticed. She had been born on the coldest day of Frostfall in the midst of what her mother called "the worst blizzard Helovia has ever seen." Besides, the chill was almost soothing against the girl's pelt, offering a certain numbness to the world that was a luxury to the hypersensitive little dummy foal.

She hated the term, especially after having learned that its presence in hushed whispers was a reference to her. She didn't want to be different. Perhaps that was why she was so insistent on wandering beyond the confines of their pretty home.

In any case, there was only a thin layer of snow on the ground, and that made it quite easy for the girl to navigate further and further away from her mother. A flash of red drew her attention, and she followed through gaps and holes in the winter brush, leaving her mother behind in favor of a characteristic burst of curiosity. Exploration in Frostfall was limited to the sensitive filly, and she meant to take advantage of every moment that she was granted in the Threshold. Aleta had wanted to see the area that every new citizen of Helovia passed through - that her mother, and perhaps her father, too, and passed through years before. She had certainly not expected to find anyone out and about on this particular day, but with a burst of excitement, she realized that she had stumbled upon a

brand

new

UNICORN.

She was quite pleased with herself, really. Mother would be so proud!

The filly trotted eagerly after the mare (she thought it was a mare, anyway, based on the scents that lingered in the frigid air), watching as Brine plunged her nose into a little creek. Aleta was careful to stay away from the water - it hurt when it ran over her skin, and she braved it only to slake thirst that could not be banished by her mother's milk. "H'lo," she called cheerfully as she stopped a short distance away, leaving several lengths between her and the new mare. Aleta peered at her, ears pricked and smile shining. "Are you new here? This is where new horses come," she added in that matter-of-fact way of hers. If the mare was new to Helovia, surely she would need to know.

"Talk."