But Lena and Imogen were not alone on this day.

Although the midday sun rose high in this BirdSong afternoon, there was still a reasonable amount of shade, for those looking to find it. Or hide in it. There might be better places for being unseen, but in fact, those were the places this mare was most likely to be recognized. The Deep Forest might come to mind, as a likely place to hide, yet as a member of The Grey, Phae might be recognized there at any time. Or not… her mind viscously reminded her, laughing at her cursed appearance. And indeed, Phae had been cursed. She knew that the Goddess of the Moon was manipulative and cruel, yet even so Phae was shocked by the extent of the trials she would endure for the promise of magic. After stepping away from the Veins, the golden beauty's appearance had been drastically and almost unrecognizably changed. Her once sleek and slender form now appeared emaciated - her chest shrunken and her ribs and hip bones protruding in an ugly and sickly manner. Her deep sooty-golden coat was now dingy and appeared to be infected with mange, or some other parasite. Her golden curls had fallen out in clumps, leaving her neck barren and her tail bone awkward and unappealing. Although very young, Phaedra now appeared to have severely aged, and now sported wrinkles, sagging skin, and only a few teeth.

The golden beauty was no more, now Phae didn't even know what she was. The only consolation was that her appearance was so appalling, she didn't even think anyone would make the connection between what they saw, and the flirtatious mare they once knew.

As her sunken eyes took in Lena's jubilant shape, gracefully moving across the meadow, she moved to stand closer to the tree under whose shade she was currently taking refuge. She didn't recognize the unicorn, nor the foxy creature bounding at her side. It was a small blessing, and Phae was thankful that so far the only two who had seen her as she was now, were two unicorns in the threshold. Recalling that moment, Phae wondered if this mare was a part of the Basin as well? Would she try and denounce Phae out of racism? Perhaps, but it wasn't as though they were anywhere near the Basin - the fields were neutral ground, were they not? As if to emphasize her point, another mare joined the first - this one hornless.

She cast her gaze to the sky, where Stella, her companion, was hunting. The black and white bird had grown significantly over the past few weeks, although she was still only half of her full size. Her white wings moved smoothly as she glided, and Phae could see from her position that Stella's bright orangey-yellow face was fixed in firm concentration as she inspected the ground for any small creature darting about. Phae could feel the chick's mind switch gears, as she latched onto something. Her slow circles suddenly ceased, and as if suddenly falling into paralysis, Stella's wings tucked neatly against her black body as she shot towards the ground. Only moments before she was about to collide head-first into the earth, did she spread her wings and extend her talons to pick up some small rodent or such, from its burrow. Grasping the creature in her talons, she trilled with delight as she began to fly back towards Phaedra to enjoy her meal.