Her curiosity was bound to win out over the pains and folly of whatever past haunted her, but I knew that it would be a long time coming from the way she looked at me with widened eyes of fear. I wanted to soothe her, calm her with soft words of wisdom… But, as always I remained quiet. She would have to find strength within herself if she wished to maintain my company, after all, I couldn’t force her to trust me if she had her heart set on questioning my every motive. However, that’s not to say that I wanted to turn hide and run. I merely sat and waited for the quiet to die away and for her words to grace the space between us. She had been able to move close enough to look me in the eyes, but it didn’t feel like much of a feat because upon resting her tragic gaze on the malformed wings perched atop my back, she froze.

I’d gotten that stare many times before and though it could be disconcerting at times, I felt that this instance was quite different. It was like the mare had never seen such attributes and though her expression was slightly comical, I made sure to give her the time she needed to adjust. I’d dealt with creatures foreign to Helovia before and they all appeared to be the same… One look at a horn or a feathery wing and they were suddenly immobilized. I couldn’t blame them for their reactions though; how was one supposed to feel about fairytales if that’s all that they’d ever really been? Just… tales. Whatever mystery that accompanied my existence was now out in the open, visible for this mare to see and feel and hear. I was a living, breathing myth to this woman and while it was humorous in and of its own accord, I still felt a little awkward as she stared at me with those incredulous brown eyes.

I didn’t have plans on disappearing into nothingness or suddenly lifting from the ground so that she could admire the full expanse of my creation. I couldn’t even if I’d wanted to. What this girl didn’t know was that I’d been born into these appendages that were too small and frail to ever lift a creature of my size from the ground. On many levels, I was just like her. I was no more mysterious to her than her own foot, aside from the wings that shifted accordingly along my spine. Were they really so daunting?

When she finally found the courage to share her name, I was more than eager to move past the obvious elephant in the room. After all, in most cases I didn’t have to worry about the curious eyes of another in the name of my being Pegusi, but rather that I was not. It was a hurtful thing to experience after so much time spent trying to overcome my differences. Many creatures in Helovia seemed to forget that my wings were deformed only because of my intimidating size, which quite honestly, I didn’t mind.

“No need to apologize”, I said with a chuckle. She was certainly new to Helovia because to think that I was a magnificent creature was hardly something in comparison to the many others that existed here. “I fear that I am not the last daunting creation here in Helovia, so I would hope that you are prepared my dear.” I smiled warmly at her, still debating what it would look like to encounter this Hiedrun if she ever met Mirage. The Dragonheart was definitely a mare worth meeting not only because she was the rightful leader of the Edge but also because I couldn’t get over just what my new friend would do after seeing her shed Equine bones for those of a dragon. Now that was a fascinating thing to witness.

However, of course after losing myself to the images of golden scales and long, pearly white teeth, the dark mare’s voice was more than welcoming. As she spoke, I found my gaze seeking hers in a way that I often did upon meeting newcomers not only to the Edge but to Helovia in general. What did she want here that would bring her across the long plains of misery and turmoil to stand upon our front step? She had family wherever she’d come from, so why did she leave if being alone was considered to be dangerous? I knew that such subjects would be a topic of conversation at some point in our journey together because after careful consideration, I added to her story. “A home is what you seek? Then perhaps I could interest you in accompanying me to the Edge? I believe that you’d fit in quiet well there.” A devious smirk followed shortly after as I once again considered the mare’s face upon meeting a draconic Mirage. I couldn’t wait to welcome Hiedrun to my family if she indeed wished it… But from the way she spoke, I had no doubt that she’d be following me home tonight.

Oh, how I enjoyed my twisted sense of humor.