Poke, poke, poke.

A few seconds went by before another serious of pokes found their way along Kiada’s ashen neck. Her white eyelids fluttered open, a blurry world around her came into vision as she tried to focus. Suddenly, more white and feathers hopped in front of her, poking her yet again, this time right onto her horn making a horrific sound. The filly sat up, then shaking her head with a sharp narrow glare to the bearded vulture. “What is so important?” Her voice hissed to the bird, her gaze glimmering with the daggers she wanted pointed at her bonded.

Khairi simply offered a beaky grin and a coo before gesturing with his wing to the black and silver zephyr as he flew overhead. The filly’s eyes drifted upwards, capturing the zephyr as he trailed between the trees, then immediately her brows furrowed and she stared back at Khairi completely unamused. “I’m not going.” She huffed, ears flitting back as she closed her eyes again, aiming to fall back into the comfort of her tiny cave. Suddenly, Khairi began to poke her more, this time hopping back out of her way as her ever growing sharp twisting horn jutted out toward him. It took awhile and a lot of convincing, but the white bird finally won.

Quietly, and begrudgingly, Kiada made her way to the meeting where Mesec and her father stood. Her gaze looked upwards toward Khairi as if to ask if he knew that her father would be here, and all the bird could do was return a beaky grin. Shaking the sleep from her pelt, she did her best to hide the annoyance that burned under her skin. However, her passive magic made it hard to try and forget about such things. Snakes and wolves slithered and stalked along her spine as she appeared with the group. Her gaze traveling from Mesec to her father, to the silver and blackened older filly, standing there with a bird as well.

Khairi dove down from the branches above to land onto her withers, the snakes and wolves meshing and moving around his white pelt as his sharp red raptor gaze landed on Oizy’s companion. Kiada, meanwhile, dipped her head to both Mesec and her father before stepping over to Oizy’s side and offering a small smile. “What’s going on?” She questioned quietly, hoping her father wouldn’t hear, but allowing her oceanic gaze to land on the monarch.

"Talk."

— she wears fire for skin,

but a storm lives in her soul.