"PSYCHE!"

But you couldn't really call for one without the other coming, and Mauja slowly raised his head from the grass he'd been lipping at. A few strands, glistening with his saliva, stuck out from his dark mouth as he frowned at the horizon, before slowly dragging them in with the deliberate movements of his jaw. They gave way between his molars, were ground down, and he wondered what had his daughter calling out for her — surely it was not affection she wanted? He wasn't worried, though, for nothing in the summons sounded like fear or desperation. Curiosity stirred within, and a twinge of jealousy. Why call only for one parent, but not the other? Why call only for one leader, but not the other? (Silently he berated himself; acting as Bane and Lord was something he did out of habit, and as no one had challenged him about it...) Flicking his tail he gave a quiet sigh and abandoned his patch of lovely grass, and strode off towards the east. Riding the cool winds above was Irma, somewhere out of sight, but her interest had been stirred, too, by Snö's call. So much faster than Mauja she arrived, locking her wings in a glide as she spiraled within a thermal, peering down at the scene below, but not divulging what she saw. Mauja was on his way already, and as it was nothing to worry about, why should she let him know?

And soon enough he saw them for himself. The varnish coat of Snö, his growing daughter, the midnight black of Psyche the Empress, and, surprisingly enough, two familiar shapes he hadn't thought to see again. One was Ulrik, their bronze-marked Engineer whom he had not seen in quite a while, and the other was none other than Cassiopeia, of the Dragon's Throat. Why on earth did he come here, dragging her along? And where had he been? "Ulrik!" Mauja called out, his 'brows slightly raised and something light within his pale blue eyes. While Ulrik certainly hadn't been close to Mauja, he was devout, and unafraid to speak his mind. So where had he gone to, when the herd had gone north? What had he been doing, while Mauja was gone? Focusing his eyes upon both Psyche and Snö in turn he gave them nods of greetings, before striding up to the tall, taciturn machine-maker. "It's been too long," he said quietly, aiming to brush his soft muzzle against Ulrik's, before allowing his gaze to slide away, onto the roan mare behind him, and her large, feathery wings.

Cassiopeia had seemed a gentle soul to him when they had met so long ago, a loving, caring mother, mate to the respected General Azzuen. Why had she been taken? For what purpose? Had she done something to offend the engineer, or was it merely for fun? What on earth would Kri say? But Kri had betrayed him — she had said it with regret as she stood with her army at his doorstep, and he felt his teeth grind together. It was only out of the desire to not have war upon him before he was ready that he respected the mare, and sought to avoid giving her reason to attack. This kind of provocation.. why? Would she be able to trace it to the Basin, the snowy northern stronghold? "Cassiopeia," he greeted her in a pleasant voice, his quick eyes darting to the others, wondering what they had planned on doing with her.. if they had had any plan at all. Call him weak, but he did not want to see the likeable mare harmed, but, as he reminded himself, this was Psyche's herd now... Slowly he drew a step forward, tilting his head to the side as his warm, but cautious eyes, ran across her body, trying to see if she had been injured.