The long walk back from the Threshold to the Throat is now a familiar friend to the blackened Gladiator. He has made the journey many times, some alone but some with the fruits of a successful recruitment at his heels - he confesses he vastly prefers those. The blue-hued pegasus is not the most conversational of company, but Volterra does not object. There will be plenty of time for talk once Sunjata sees the Throat.

They soon arrive at the end of the world itself, or so it seems. The goliath looks out to the distant horizon, and to his own surprise he finds a queer fondness blossoming in his chest. Yes, he has grown to like the island, despite its annoyingly spiky plants and its unpleasant, sweltering heat. It is home, the first home he has ever known; within its boundaries he has flourished, taking and owning a rank for the first time and using it to help hone his battle skills. He'd never imagined himself living in the Throat, but he finds himself grateful for the quirk of fate that brought him there. The warmth that grows inside him at the sight of it is quite unusual, and he finds himself wishing for a moment that he was alone so he could explore this odd new sensation. As it is, he is focused on ensuring that the blue-coated man beside him agrees to join their ranks.

He is unsurprised that Sunjata seems to find it rather underwhelming. A knowing grin spreads across the giant's face at his acquaintance's words, and he looks from the blue pegasus to the distant island. "Aye, it is. No doubt you are wondering how one as wingless as myself can possibly access it?" It is a mistake he'd also made when he stood here three years ago, when he was still a boy, and watched his mother taken by Gaucho into the depths of her desert prison. He'd wondered whether the herd was made up entirely of pegasi, or whether the wingless folk simply had to suck it up and swim if they wanted to live there.

Neither, it turned out, was the truth.

He keeps the key tucked away in his mane; its safety is paramount. Without his dragons and their nimble fingers to disentangle it, it requires a lot of head-shaking in order for him to loosen it from the tangled folds of his mane. He holds it in his mouth for a moment, and waits for the familiar eruption of fire-wings from his shoulderblades. When it comes, he steps towards the cliff edge; with a glance back to Sunjata and a wolfish grin, he feels the wings begin to carry him across the ocean towards the Throat itself.

When he alights on the other side, he looks around, expecting to see Sunjata nearby. "Welcome to the Throat, Sunjata."