A small spark ignited in Ru. Fleeting and irregular. She traversed the Dragon’s Throat with a skip to her trot, bounding energy as she recoiled against the expanse before her. Restless, as she made her way south on foot for a change, veering west to inevitably cross paths with the Arena.
 
No- she had never seen anything like it. Helovia would continue to provide her surprises, with what appeared to be an unlimited cache of discoveries. Endless opportunities, she thought; there was mystery in these lands, history left untold. Perhaps… she would set her mind on such things. Investigating the causes for the world and why it was.
 
Her darkened, sooty limbs stilled. Those bright, pastel blues gazed forward and up along the outside plating of the arena. The ember, that source of light dwindled down within her. Instead she regarded the arena with a quiet curiosity, one that had changed over the course of her stay in the Throat. It was still and steady, meek in her stride as he followed the arena’s edges. Breathing in the air, searching for any familiar scents. Though there were none she could plainly distinguish. Foreign and dusty.
 
An opening appeared, drawing the youth closer, tempting her further in as she peered into the other side. Odd structures jutted out from the ground. Metallic, as the sun bounced sharply from their angles, branches pointing towards the sky. Ru inhaled once more, catching very brief, subtle smells littering the earth. The air was dry, and it was hard to tell how long they had been there.
 
Having scanned the inside of the arena (from where she stood), and finding no one, she proceeded forwards. Her senses remained piqued, simply because she didn’t enjoy the fact that she was without any mane or forelock, a little stub of her tail; simply covered in skin and her winter coat. They had been itchy a few days ago; now they throbbed, speckled about with the formation of small, white feathers. Too sparse to tell; she felt naked nonetheless. Like a hairless rat, slinking through the arena.
 
Taking a deep breath and puffing it out, she smiled lightly and started off at a full run. Swerving in and out of the metallic trees, maneuvering through the earth with her wings opened wide. Sometimes angling with a sharp turn, or snapping them back to her body. They would never catch her!
 
The day was more than halfway over. The sun wavered as it hung above. Weak rays threatened to lower. The sky was clear today, despite the whimsical gusts singing in between the metal. The heat of the mighty star, blanketing the youth when she was not covered by the arena’s shadow.