As always, Lochan stirred first. He pulled away from their embrace the moment that the stirring of feathers filtered through the sound of the wind moving through the night, and his soft lowing was enough to alert his two bondmates that they should do the same. By the time the other mare landed—winged, feathered, and with gold on her back—they stood separately and facing her like a united guard.

Lochan lifted his small nose to sniff the faintest scent of burning and sent it through their branching bond so that Ashamin caught the same, despite its subtlety. It was a familiar smell, one he'd noted in multiple battles with his coils on his tail, but he didn't make the connection until the mare spoke.

She spoke of magic and enchanted items; with her freshly singed nose, Ashamin could only assume she spoke of his. He smiled and exhaled softly, offering her his nose to touch in traditional greeting before pulling away to speak. "I see you found my coils on the opposite shore, then," he offered, hoping that giving the object a name might ease her fears about it. "I thought I'd hid it well; you must be a skilled tracker, stranger. I hope it didn't give you too bad of a shock," Ashamin said. It was a compliment, really, and something that intrigued him. Ever since he'd left the Basin he'd found himself in the company of a wide variety of unique creatures that, like him, were not from this land. How had he not realized how much there was in the world while he had been locked up in his cage?

When the pegasus spoke of old wives tales he sympathized immediately. He, too, had been shocked when he'd come to this land and discovered magic—though not as literally. Now, just over a year later, he'd mastered the element of electricity in more ways than one. "You must be new to Helovia, then," he mused, exchanging quick glances with his companions before turning back to catch her gaze. "I am Ashamin the Clovenheart, and these are my companions, Lochan and Rakt. I was once in your position. Should you need guidance, I would be willing to share what I know."

After all, what good was it to have all that knowledge in his head if no one would get to use it? And he'd been like her once, too. Scared of all the new things Helovia had to offer and even more scared to ask about them.

He got the sense that she wasn't quite as timid as he had been, though.


""