Alysanne didn’t like returning to the Marsh, but she felt a pull from them that required her to keep up the patrols of them - like the day she had met Volterra. She was hardly ever alone - there always seemed to be others coming and going, and it seemed like Helovia in general was uneasy with the near-silence since Kaos’ arrival. What was coming next? The Goddess had urged them to keep an open mind, but it was difficult to imagine that the thing that had killed Nyx wasn’t going to cause more destruction.

So she and Hemlock flew low over the land - wary about walking in the marsh itself - and kept an eye out. For what, they still didn’t know, but Alysanne felt like they would recognize it once they saw it.

Normally, she would say it was by chance that they had been on the coast that day - but such a strong coincidence had to be influenced by fate, even just a little bit. First she noticed the dark bay stallion looking at something on the ground, something pale. Something pale and spotted. In all her years in Helovia, she had not yet come across anyone else that had a coat just like that. “Mauja!” In the near-silence of the marsh, her call was louder than she intended - and she quickly angled herself and landed nearby - trotting to close the gap as she felt the bile taste of fear and horror rise in her throat, threatening to choke her.  

He had been missing for quite some time - his absence easily noted in the lush forest of the Edge - and to see him, lying there, was a nightmare made real for the pegasus mare.

“Is he alive?” She asked the stallion standing there, though she was already looking at Mauja and not really paying attention to any answer that might come. The faintest signs of life were there and immediately she started to berate herself for procrastinating handing in her quest to the Moon Goddess. If she had the magic to take Mauja’s pain away, at least she would be able to do something, not linger in this useless way. “You better not be dead.” She whispered in a fierce, near-angry tone, as she lowered her head and stepped closer - intending to nudge his neck with her muzzle. The action would be far gentler than her words were, a feather-soft and frightened touch as her fear caused her to hesitate.

She just hoped he wouldn’t begrudge her closeness when he faded back into consciousness.