The sun had settled behind the crest of the mountain about halfway through their journey home from the Threshold, the mare turning back every now and again to share words with the yearling colt that followed in her wake, their exchanges not so much conversation as they were warnings about various places on the narrow path that were treacherous if one put their hoof down the wrong way, or tidbits he may find interesting that were generally unknown to those who didn't live at the peak of the mountain. She held her tail high, the snow thick enough now to gather on the tips and become a nuisance, and her eyes caught the orb just as it vanished behind the horizon, her brain unable to comprehend the importance of this sunset or what would come to pass in the morning when it did not rise again. For now, all she thought of was bringing their newest recruit up the mountain safely, and also to provide him with a tour of the grounds, her knowledge of the various oddities within the Basin something which she was proud of, considering it a sign of a good soldier to know what lie within the boundaries one had sworn to protect. And while she had not given her loyalty to all the unicorns within her home, she certainly felt the need to keep those who did not belong here in their necessary place below the mountain.

As they crested the final stretch into the Basin, Illynx found a soft smile of comfort broadening upon her features as the glistening surface of the lake came into view, paying no mind to the fact that the moon had not yet begun to climb into the sky to reflect upon its surface, too enamored by the way the stars and the red tinged sky blended on the deep blue lake to make the water a dreamy indigo littered with pale flecks. The Haruspex gleamed within it's cave, various Basin members loitering along the banks of the water and through out the natural valley that the stone protected from the sheer winds that had buffeted them on the climb. She turned now to speak to young Ares, who she assumed was not too far along behind her. "Welcome home, Ares," she said, her golden gaze sparkling within her chocolate face, a bunch of her forelock draped over one eye and the rest spread across her forehead, split where her horn burst from the bones of her skull.