"I wonder what's got her riled up?"
A crooked grin in the shadows, two intense eyes meeting; a message conveyed in silence, understood only by the likeness of the minds that spun beneath skulls. Their thoughts ran parallel, and they both knew it. "Who knows?" A grimace accompanied the words. "But I have a hunch."
"I think you're right." A sigh.
"Well..."
Their eyes met again. "Yes."
"Go."

---

His right thigh was hurting something damnably. Blood marred the white, mingling with his sweat and trailing like pink rivulets disconcertingly far down his legs. He blamed the heat, and the fact that the gash was deep enough to bleed. It wasn't just a scratch, and the messy edge towards the left of it told the tale that it hadn't just been a clean cut, but the tip of whatever had caused it had torn out sideways, forcibly tearing up the half-inch so of flesh and skin. The long journey had it aching in a way he couldn't even pretend to be fond of, each step causing the muscles of his jaw to tense. He was tired — he'd been traveling for a while, pushing himself to cover as much ground as he could. The billowing heat of the Heart had told him he was near, and he'd skirted around it to avoid the brunt of the hot air, but sweat still darkened his coat and now that he stood far enough away that only the faintest warmth could be felt he shivered slightly. The sun had set about half an hour ago, and was taking the warmth with it. It was not often that Mauja disapproved of the cold, but he knew that, unless he moved closer to the Heart, tonight would be hell.

In all honesty, he didn't want to move, neither north nor south. His muscles ached, not just his wounded thigh, and his breathing was rugged, but his mind was clear despite it. He knew that it was best to stay here, on the off-hand chance someone would find him.. and if the company was hostile, he didn't want to be too exhausted. Above all else, he needed to be able to defend himself. Blinking, he peered around himself, knowing that he had to keep alert. He was tall enough to see above the grasses, but shivered again as a cold breeze rippled across the meadow. Distantly he could hear the roar of the Heart, and part of him longed to go a little closer, but the fire was dangerous.. and while it burned very cleanly, he was afraid it'd have the effect like smoke had. Cursing silently under his breath, Mauja tried to find his inner calm, soothe the rhythm of his breathing and of his heart. Adrenaline washed out of his system and he trembled slightly, and turned to peer closely at the gash across his thigh. Like he thought — dirty. Dust and filth had stuck to the blood, kicked up by his hooves as he'd traveled the drier parts of Helovia.

Gritting his teeth, Mauja gave his head a shake to try and get his sweaty forelock off his face, but it refused and stayed plastered to his forehead. Tossing his head around only made more of it tangle in his horn or fall awkwardly across his eyes. Frowning, he focused, touched the ice in his soul and felt it uncoil. Thinking little of what he was doing he only meant to place a few ice crystals near the edges of the severed veins, a few of them still leaking blood but the others coagulated. He'd just meant to clean himself up a little.

A yelp broke the otherwise stillness of the oncoming night as he flinched aside. Small flames had licked the edges of his skin instead, but the moment he'd released his hold on the magic in surprise they had faded. Feeling more than just his legs tremble Mauja winced slightly. What the hell had happened? Nothing good, that was certain, but the edges of the wound were seared black and it just ached even more than before. More spooked than he cared to admit Mauja kept his head high and his eyes on the horizons, wondering if the Gods were playing more tricks on him. But one thing was certain: he wasn't going to get the rest he'd planned on getting, and each time the wind touched him he shivered, for more reasons than just mere cold.