Slumber had found me in the cold winter air. After waiting for five or ten very long, drawn out minutes with my chest puffed out with illusory self-importance, I had gotten bored and the chill made me tired. I huddled by the bark of the tree, wings wrapped close around my sides. I tucked my head in close to my chest and slept, warm clouds softly drift from my nostrils as I breathe easily. Foolish, to stand so defenseless, alone in the middle of an unnatural light. However, nothing horrible would befall me today.

Nothing. Except the dreadful encounter with the one thing I feared in this world - a filly.

The soft nicker mixed in with the howl of dead winds reaches my ears. My eyes flutter open with soft eyelashes, my ears picking up the crunch of nervous hooves. I had finally gotten what I had been waiting for - a traveler who I could offer food to in the harsh of winter. Beneath my hooves, vibrant blades of grass sprouts fro the snow, the ice thawing in places from the energy surrounding me without effort. I glance around the tree's trunk in time to see the slight figure of a foal.

A yearling, likely, but smaller than I. I let out a warm greeting nicker in response to the hesitantly offered one she created. It is then I remember how feminine and soft the voice had been. Huffing in air, I capture the scent of my worst nightmare: a filly. This girl was a filly.

I cannot explain why, but fillies have always made me nervous. I really only had ever gotten along with mother and Ophelia. Then, I met the shadow mare with a crimson mane, and the lovely lady of lavender and tired eyes. However, all of my experiences with fillies have been, well, firstly, uncomfortable, and usually with yelling. I think back to Azulee and Cirrus, the sisters of the Dragon's Throat. Cirrus had been domineering from the start, with a loud mouth made for yelling. Even if this filly was different, there was still a chance that I would be put in a precarious situation.

I stood at a crossroads. I had promised father to be brave. I had told my mother I would. Ophelia was proud of me. I needed to allow this girl closer, and to get over my irrational fears. With a dry gulp in my throat, I take a step out from behind the tree, my bronze hoof meeting soft grass and a slight chill. "Hello," I say, my voice feeling dry and raw, but I attempt to make it friendly. "I am Hototo, son of Ktulu and Father Earth." I probably sound crazy. I sound crazy. Who would believe such a bold statement? "If you are hungry, this grass is healthy." I smile, a tight-lipped smile.

I was trying, okay?