Running is so much easier now The Thing is gone from her chest, and the young mare's long stride hauls her easily through the Threshold like a rampaging elephant. Her gallop is a heavy, ungainly one, her hooves hammering out a drumbeat on the sun-scorched ground, whilst the deliciously cool night air does not prevent her stony flesh from breaking out in a sweat that causes her to glimmer like a dying star. Ker flies ahead, her eyes trained forwards, tilting and twisting as she pelts through the trees. It's tempting for Oizys to transform into her companion and fly alongside her, but she resists - she wants to see her sister with her own eyes, not ones stolen by her magic.

Gargoyle and raptor arrive like a stampede, thundering to a halt in front of Sister in a haze of strewn mud and flying foam. "En...yo," she gasps out, her sides heaving as she hauls blessed breath into her screaming lungs. Her stamina is improving day on day as she spars and trains, but two years' worth of treading on eggshells because of The Thing means that she has missed out on valuable endurance building during her childhood. She tries not to picture Father's face if he knew his daughter had harboured such a hideous illness throughout her formative years, and snaps her mind away from him as quickly as she can.

Once her breathing has composed itself and she can see through the black dots in her vision, the soldier can gaze upon her twin for the first time in years. It is apparent that Enyo received the lion's share of beauty; her pale fur, small build and ability to look demure immediately set her aside from her brutish, scarred, stone-pelted sister. The difference in their sizes could not be more remarkable, however, and as Oizys leans forwards to try and embrace the other mare in a quite uncharacteristic show of sisterly affection, she wonders what Father would think of a child so petite. "You're back." The voice is more composed now that she's caught her breath. "You will not believe how much shit has gone down."

Her gut clenches as she realises that she'll need to deliver news of Mother's death. She frowns, worried, before noticing for the first time that they are not alone. There is a young stallion, the one who Oizys moved trees with, and Ker eyeballs him from her perch on her bonded's massive shoulders. "I live in the Basin now. Will you come there?" There's no time for preamble - Astarot may offer his home, too, and the gargoyle half-fears that Enyo will accept.