it has come to pass...

"You are foolish if you think I can always protect you."

His retort wasn’t completely set aside, as it lingered on the chord strings in the back of her cranium. It was a good thing she had long ago stopped depending on others, or she might have taken more offense to his words, for they would have been true. But nothing stopped what she felt, and it stung in the tiniest corner of her being, to know she had to deny everything she ever felt for the wolf horse. Maybe in a fairy tale ending, things could have had a happy ending, but now her fairy tale had turned reality, and reality never ended in a happily ever after…

The unblemished figment of the girl bearing the horn could see there were more words to be said, but the attention span of the two was diverted to the unicorn’s twin… Ophelia. Despite the height and the bloodied tips of hair strands, the two could have been mirror images of each other. It was quite evident to Nadira that there was hesitation on Phi’s part. She tilted her visage as Phi joined them, wondering why the hesitation. Was her presence so new to the world of Helovia, that she was still regarded with apprehension in some fashion?

Tinek and Comadre gave quite a display of their welcoming greeting, before settling down once again, absorbed in each other and other fascinating things of the sort. Nadira saw the surprise surface at Phi’s entrance and then dim all within seconds. It was strange, really, for she had witnessed it in the Foothills as well. Was she missing something that she should have been able to pick up on? The taller mare offered a thank you to Osiris, for a favor it seemed earlier. Though Osiris appeared, as it had been only habit and the right thing to do at the time. What a funny way of accepting an apology, she thought to herself. And then she turned to Nadira, with an apology for her actions while their meeting in the Foothills, and the petite mare placed on a smile on her delicate features.

“We can never truly prepare ourselves for unexplainable occurrences. What is done is now past. I am glad you stopped by. I hope we did not detour your route.”

Again, the burning gaze she felt as the wolf’s orbs looked toward her was enough to make her feel heated. But with the other mare’s question, in lieu of Osiris’s inquiry towards her wanderings, it was a pleasant distraction to focus on, for the time being. Her brows had furrowed, asking her about her venture from the Foothills, and Nadira figured now would be as good a time as any to answer the question that had seemed to cross both her company’s thoughts.

“I did indeed venture a bit out of the way, I suppose. But I am a bit of an explorer. A gypsy at heart, and to be quite honest, I have probably gotten turned around just a bit. But everything is so captivating in these parts of Helovia, I find myself lost with intrigue, that I end up exploring more than I should, probably.”

She was also known for daydreaming and getting side tracked quite easily. So it did not surprise her that she had found herself so far deep into the forest. She would have eventually found her way out. Or might have decided to turn back and follow her way out, the way she had come in. It hadn’t been like she was trying to sneak her way about. If she had done that, she would have left an untraceable path. But it was quite clear the path she had taken, as she took a quick glance to survey the small amount of twigs and branches she had snapped on her way there.

“Why is it that I find the two of you here? Of all places…”

Her singsong lyrics faded as she found herself lost in thought, bringing her focus back to Osiris and Phi.