She wants to stay here, uninterrupted, lost in her memories, reflecting upon her youth - but of course, the world has other ideas. Natraj sees the duo of dragons first, an uncharacteristic assembly that glimmers in the tree, observing through a collection of dark, intelligent eyes. Even the raven is far larger than the tiny fox. He paws at his sister, sending a mental message, an image of strangers, and the Fire Dancer sighs.

The glass is cool and soothing; she is loathe to raise her face from its embrace, but rise she does, black gaze seeking the trio of intruders. One of them is gold, and this catches the quiet mare off guard, fragile memories blurring behind her ears, familiarity burning like tears in her eyes. There is something familiar about the raven, too. Tingling sharply in the back of her mind, the girl feels some strange hostility toward it, though she cannot place why. The magic that coats it is green and sanguine, dusty and bronze. Why does it set her so keenly on edge? "Why do I know you?" she wants to ask. "What have I forgotten?"

Instead she answers: "No."

There are more, and the girl turns, embers dancing on her copper skin as she tries to reassemble her thoughts. A mare of gold, distantly recognized by her proximity to other healers in the herd meeting, her voice thickly accented (and again the child thinks of Mirage, the lilt of her voice and the hum of her songs) - "Yes," she answers quietly, soft surprise in her alto voice. "It tells me about the past. What does it say to you?" It seems she is not the only one moved by the diminutive statue; what does it mean to this stranger, she wonders? To the transformed raven who lurks in the trees?

The last to arrive is the pretty child she met in the fall; Fire Dancer smiles at Maude's cheerful greeting, the curve of her lips softening at last that severe facade, breaking through her quiet discomfort and igniting something warm within her breast. "Hello, Maude." The greeting is punctuated with a sharp bark from Natraj. The fox jumps gracefully from his sister's haunches, running to further address the child, as well as offering a bright, vulpine smile to the golden pegasus. He is the antithesis to her distance, the translation of a desire for closeness she cannot quite express. She watches him for a moment, her smile widening, her affect softening.

Then she glances back at the raven, and her shoulders grow tense.

What are we all doing? Maude asks, and before she can think about it the girl blurts back - "Remembering." It is a strange answer, but to the Fire Dancer it seems right; she nods as though to confirm the thought, letting her gaze drift back to the dragon, which seems to be looking at her, encouraging her to go on.

She swallows.

"Do you know who Mirage the Dragonheart is- was?" the girl corrects, a sharp stab of pain piercing her heart. "She was Queen here, many years ago, until she disappeared in the endless dark. She was the first equine to rule the Edge - before her, only unicorns were allowed to live here." The girl has heard this story so many times, it feels as though she lived it - and for some of it, she did. There is a wealth of history, a million tales, and all at once the Fire Dancer wishes to tell them, to share her memories, unburden herself of secrets.

The question is, do they want to know?

There is a color that shines through your skin
And the smoke filled you up
Like the moon on the wind