Hé underestimated the scope of the journey before him. Far from diminished, though, he blossomed as the miles rolled under their hooves. New sights, smells, sounds greeted him around every corner and Ashamin made for a most excellent guide, answering questions before they could be asked and feeding the spotted stallion bits and pieces of trivia. It was all enough to leave Hé wanting, bookmarking landmarks for later investigation and consumption. Their journey filled him with such notes, bits and pieces of lore and landmark and history and myth jumbling together and threading through his brain. Rather than struggle to sort them all out, he merely enjoyed the process, trusting himself to make sense of Helovia when he needed to. For those first few days, with Ashamin and the two(!) fabulous bucks as company, Hé felt content in a manner he had not since.... Well, he struggled even to remember. His childhood had grown far and easily forgotten in the intervening years. He had so much to catch up on.

So it is at last the two stallions and their companions set foot upon the verdant soil of the meadow, Hé a little wiser and a lot more curious. Ashamin is Ashamin as ever, the way Hé has come to think of him: a strange mixture of shy and knowledgeable, benevolent and withdrawn. It makes for pleasant company, though it also draws Hé to wonder in ways he can't simply ask. He's quiet as they rustle through the grass, his ears twisting in response to Ashamin's voice. He catches the sound of wings overhead and glances up just quickly enough to catch the magnificent form of yet another winged horse coasting by above — so they are common, in Helovia! If the noise of rustling feathers, of wings in use, provokes a hint of unease in the spotted flesh Hé quickly shakes it off and proceeds after his guide with vigor. Travel's done nothing to wear him down; he feels fresh, eager, almost vibrating upon the soles of his feet. The Unbound. Whatever they are, whatever he ought to expect... Now's the time he tastes truth.

And taste, he does.

The freckled features brighten when Ashamin introduces him, and he steps forward, his tail flicking, with a nod and a cheerful, "Hello!" But his presence is soon drowned out by the ensuing chaos. Hé steps back once more as a strange, ghostly creature approaches and begins to raise alarm. Dark eyes turn toward the object of the stranger's distress quizzically; Hé can't fathom what's wrong with keeping a child among a bunch of outcasts any more than keeping a child elsewhere. He thinks maybe he has more personal reasons than most to find the apprehension ridiculous, and so he says nothing. He contents himself with watching, his brilliant demeanor fading by degrees as more voices join in. And though he might find those belonging to the voices interesting in their own ways, any other day, his attention soon drifts to the fringes of the gathering as the argument thickens, gains momentum, hurtles out of control.

This is not..... what he expected.

A quick, rather sympathetic glance finds Ashamin. Hé's a little embarrassed for his friend, truth be told, but he tries to keep the judgment from his face. Everyone fights; maybe Ashamin can settle them down. Maybe.... Still, Hé finds himself glancing toward the edges of the group more and more, as he thinks about slipping off, finding something better to do than — this.