Finally the frantic din of bright sun, depression and too much chatter disappeared into the distance. Her cloven hooves carried her eagerly forward into the quiet, vast Steppe. Woes seemed to fall from her shoulders like shedding skin, and she inhaled a deep breath of crisp air. The noise in her head, the screaming of memories finally faded, only the whisper of the wind through the mountains meeting her tulip shaped ears. Exhaustion settled in, and in the shadow of a charcoal mountain, she let her body tumble to the ground, tired legs folding beneath her tightly. Dual colored eyes closed, white lashes falling to pale cheeks, one of which was still bloody. Peace. Finally, peace.
For a time, she rested until quite sobs met her ears. She furrowed her brows over closed eyes and quietly lifted her head, a frown on her gray lips. Ophelia was not irritated; the voice sounded like that of a child, and she swiftly rose to her hooves, shaking the snow that had made a home on her back. Carefully, she opened her eyes, pleased to find the the sun had gone to sleep behind the horizon and that the moon had risen instead. The shards of the lost stone still sparkled in her mane and tail, and she cautiously approached the origin of the sobbing, neck lower with curiosity.
She followed her ears to the sight of a child, young and all alone. In a way that no other managed to unlock her heart, she felt the gates open for him, and she frowned. In the crook of one wing a few feathers were missing, and the pieces of the puzzle were not easily put together. Why was this shadow child alone? Where did he come from? Why were his wings so damaged? "Why do you cry?" she asked softly, moving as close as he would allow, her dual colored eyes open with concern.
Tinek, suddenly aware of the fact that his bond mate had moved, flew over to join them, landing carefully in the snow and looking up at the new face with a smile on his silver lips. The young dragon with the crimson eyes trotted closer and tried to wrap his body around the black colt's leg affectionately. He could feel the sorrow from his bond mate, and so he sat close, looking up curiously and smelling the salty bitterness of tears on the air.
"And you are all alone in the cold? What is your name?" she asked softly. "My name is Ophelia, but you can call me Phi..." she offered, trying to be open.
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