The sun’s fragile fingers caressed the sweaty sheen of my silver backside as I started towards the last scent marker of the Wintossed Foothills – my new home. The sweet strands of healthy TallSun grass proved silky on my legs; they were accepting blades, hoping to their Earth that the Grey would prove through to promise lighter days for the jaded herd land. My eyes glimmered golden as I looked back, finding my trail leading back over the sea of green hills. Nature probably wouldn’t like what I was here for. Raimo, who decided to leave his energy for later in the day, rode on my withers singing a sweet song that breathed blue flames in my head. I could taste them, strong with heat, but promising his feelings for this herd were genuine.

      I still couldn’t understand the way we connected.

      The miles I forced to walk were on hot rocks, and I hoped that merging to this kind of culture would cool my hooves for a little while. The Earth’s spirit graced the strong, stoic Donovan and I with the ability to channel into the earth and shatter stone with just our thoughts. I hadn’t given it much thought yet nor practice. All I knew was that a wall of great proportions was to be brought from the back of our minds and given to the Grey for battle worthy protection.

      All I knew was that Aërwen was still in the back of my mind. As I strode on I let the wild blue see my thoughts, I poured them into him, hoping that with some bizarre act of nature of magic or whatever, that she would return to me.

      I was lost in my thoughts, and the strong scent of Grey hit me and I knew I’d found the border. I halted, peering with a questioning mocha gaze, asking myself where to start. I tried to visualize it in my mind as a massive, pale boundary that stretched down the roll of hills as far as the equine eye could see. Then I blinked and saw nothing but the green grasses give way to the outside forests in the distance. My tail twitched, and Raimo stifled on my back.

      ‘We’ll do it. Somehow.’

      He mentally nodded, and I mentally shrugged, completely distant from any passion I could have felt towards this. I kept repeating it to myself. I decided to call.

      “Donovan! Today marks the day that we start the Great Wall.”