onni.</style>

A grin pulls across the golden stallion's features, beaming like the sun in this warm day. Onni refrains from smiling after her acceptance of his compliment, not wanting to come across as smug, despite the understated 'thank you' that she had whispered to begin with. It appears that taking this compliment, despite the way it tugged at her heart to be so forward, had pleased the stallion greatly. For this small treasure, the shaman was glad. Smiles were hard to come by under the threat of war. The Throat was anxious as of late, and even the painted girl had fallen distraught at the absence of the Sun God during her last travel to the Veins. Her reaction to her mother's speech had been vindictive and embarrassing, something she wished not to recall. By seeing the contrast of the brightened, gilded face against the dark limbs of the tree above their heads, Onni's chest feels lighter. To bring joy to others was the greatest joy of them all, was it not?

The smiles do not last forever, replaced with the smallest frown on Kaj's lips as Lyhty berates him for judgment of size. Onni might have found the reaction amusing were it with a resident and not a guest to their lands. The shaman did not want a member of the sister herd to leave with a bad taste in their mouth. Kri had long since established a friendship with Mirage that had stood the test of many battles and troubles, but in the wake of an unnecessary war against an ally of the Edge, Onni did not want anything to tip the scale against their favor. Also, she was quite displeased with anything that would remove the light smile from the golden warrior's face. Something about that thought disgruntles the little songbird all the more, but he remains stiffly quiet, huffing about in the air until coming to rest dejectedly on her back, upset with the way things have turned out today.

Why did this bastard have to come back and steal Onni's attention away from him?

"He is capricious. Please excuse him," she says, her voice airy and light as he apologizes to the small bird that had been her companion for nearly two years. A small sigh is noticed as the tobiano turns away, but she does not make any outward movement to suggest she was aware. Instead, her eyes focus on the blends of crimson and the blue sky above, before glancing over to inquire about his presence here. Thankfully, the golden boy seems comfortable in her presence, and the shaman is hopeful that maybe this stallion who had been little more than a stranger would become a friend. There had been a long gap between the last time Onni had made a friend. Though she was hardly disliked in her herd, the mare felt that she was more revered and respected than seen as good company, and this made the young girl more uncomfortable. Though her chest should fill with pride, she was instead rather staunch and saddened by the lack of friendship here in her home. Midas, she thinks, was likely her friend and perhaps his son Cera. Yet, Azzuen was gone. Tares, too, had disappeared from her sights. Just who in this land could she call a companion?

As the stallion starts to answer her question, the pale-faced mare finds herself staring at him with intense eyes, for it was not the answer she had suspected. Wingleader. Onni had no idea what a Wingleader was, but he soon clarified it as General. A bright smile shines on her lips that she offers to him, thinking instantly again of Midas. Had Kaj come to live here, he would be equal to her in ranking, but she still feels as though he would be more important in stature than she. "Congratulations," she says lightly, not wanting to disturb the rest of his story about his visit here. Mirage had sent a trio here to strengthen ties. Onni feels this is an interesting tactic, but from what she had learned of Mirage, the dark mare was clever. Surely, if she believed this would help bring their herds together, it would be so. "Are you enjoying your stay, Kaj?" she asks in earnest, her pale eyes searching his face in case she had a need to make him feel more at home here in the desert sands.

"I imagine it is quite different than the forests of the Edge."
""