It was hard to settle down in any one place. Her entire life had been spent roaming from one destination to another, always accompanied by the same familiar faces and guided by their wisdom and comforting voices. She had been strong, independent, as wild as the soaring hawks... and yet she had been safe. Protected and loved, never forced to face the temper of nature on her own. Things were different now. Her mother was no longer there to voice words of caution, to throw her own pale body in between the shadow that was her daughter and the vicious claws of a predator. She had already done that and paid the price of bravery with her hearts blood and the light in her eyes. Dögun, the dawn, was dead, and with her she had taken the spirit and hope of the black stallion who's heart she'd once been gifted with.

Gloomily the shadow mare remembered the last months with her father as she flew with steady wing-beats toward the south, on her way back to the desert she now called home. He had seemed broken to her. Rökkur, both of their dusk and beloved protector had never been himself since that night when the wolves attacked. Shadow couldn't blame him, she missed her mother beyond what words could express... But she had at least tried to keep going. Not given up and followed along with the first rag-tag band of drifters they'd come across. Her home had disappeared back then, destroyed by grief and distances. Would she ever be able to find anything similar to that? Could these strange and magical lands really be what she was looking for?

Deep in thought, the little pegasus flew almost blindly through the day and relied on long experience to remain on a good high altitude. She never could have anticipated the sudden thrust of wind that shook her in the air, ruffled to feathers and whipped black hair away from the face and neck. Hurriedly the crow adjusted the angle of the wings and managed to keep herself from falling to the ground - again, it'd have been the second time since she came here - and peered up ahead across the white landscape to see what had caused the disturbance.

The sight sent a shudder through her body that had very little to do with the chill of the winds. In the distance a scene played out that had very little to do with the comfortable times of her past, a sight so strange and... otherworldly that the newcomer didn't even know how to react. A vertical something shattered the peaceful day and tore the landscape apart with its non-belonging, and before it stood a tall unicorn and did something that made the air crack and sparkle like lightning. Another horse appeared seemingly from nowhere, taller still and heavy like the very earth, but Shadow didn't manage to see what he did; the winds were getting stronger and pushed her backwards in the air. It took up all her concentration to stay in the air as gust upon gust tossed her around and stole the air from her lungs. It roared in her ears and whipped her woolen body from all sides, until she blinded and half choked was forced to go down and take cover on the relative safety of the ground.

Shocked and disturbed by the absurd weather the young mare looked up, violet eyes staring through the fading light between the beasts struggling to do something with the rift and the horses that lingered not far from her, looking just as taken aback by the event as she. Then it wasn't some annual tradition or magical game. It made things worse, right? But who were those majestic horses with wings and horns, what were they doing? What was going on? Fear chased through her and tugged the ears back along the poll as the tall horses disappeared into the void one after the other. Light followed with them, and as a darkness thicker than light settled over the skies she couldn't help it, couldn't hold back the terrified neigh that tore from her throat, one that mingled with the voice of another not too far away.

Bewildered, panicking, she stared around in the thick darkness, desperately trying to orient herself. Which way was south? Where had the others gone, the two pale and two black horses? Bile rose in the throat as the blackness invaded her eyes and she began to stumble blindly over the meadow, hoping beyond hope that she would chance upon the way back to the Throat.