Frost Fyre

wonder, wonder what you might do
you can't simply hide our dream in the blue

'Andromeda, Antila, Apus,' she recited the constellations silently to herself, cloven, ebony hooves leaving delicate tracks in the snow, 'Aquarius, Aquila, Ara.' The wintry wonderland that surrounded the Haruspex was lost to her. She had found herself deep within her mind, wandering wherever the breeze took her, the forever aloof Altair trekking quietly behind.

'Aries, Auriga, Boötes,' her dark brow furrowed, emerald gaze burning into her little hooves. She doubted herself, for a moment. What came next, after that obscure northern constellation? Not the giraffe, or the crab, or the hunting dogs. It was another, one whose tale she didn't know, but she had taken care to learn it's name. Her heart ached suddenly, crying out for the escaped name.

'Camelopardalis?' Altair offered meekly, even though he knew his memory of night sky paled in comparison to hers. The maiden shot a panicked glance back at the cerndyr, and shook her soft mane hastily. 'No, no, that's the giraffe!' She told him in silent anguish. 'It's—it's...' the name of the constellation flickered at the tip of her tongue, her emeralds growing wide as it began to race back.

'It's—'

CRACK.

"Caelum!" The maiden softly blurted, startled by the racket. Her heart trembled and her legs shook as the sound echoed throughout the seemingly desolate forest. Her emeralds slid to her companion as he tenderly bumped his nose to her shoulder, offering a bit of consolation to the startled girl. She let out a shaky breath, soon calmed by the elk.

She considered turning away, heading back towards the mountains and away from that very threatening sound, but what if someone was hurt? She was in the threshold, after all. Someone new to the land could be experiencing difficulty with the terrain.

Eventually, the maiden talked herself into following the sound, weaving delicately between trees and listening carefully for more sound that could indicate life. She heard the semblance of a mare's voice, and trotted eagerly towards that, eventually coming upon a rather...unique pair. A stallion, a very large, very wet, striped stallion and a scarred gray mare, no doubt the voice she had heard, stood watching him.

The star swathed mare flicked her ears back, staying a cautious distance from them both, but offering a friendly smile, her companion lingering by her side. "Can I be of any assistance?" She asked gently, emeralds slipping from magled gray to drenched stripes.

@Valkyrie <3

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