I knew I ought to be resting, but I was a restless soul.
Flying above me, Suli's violet gaze bore into me like a knife. The young dragoness wasn't pleased in the slightest that I had gone venturing away from home, especially after I had put myself through a brutal invasion. My left foreleg still ached and my shoulder still slumped in protest whenever too much was asked of it; in all honesty, I wasn't sure what drew me away from the home I could have very well lost just over a week ago, but with the knowledge that the World's Edge was safe and that our enemies were in the same physical state as we were, I saw little harm in my actions. My children were safe as well as the rest of my herd mates, and that was enough to put my mind at ease and send me off.
Perhaps it had been the recent scare of invasion that prompted me to come here to the Threshold, where so many of Helovia's residents had passed through on their way into the land, myself included. I wondered, what did the weary traveler think of this strange, eternally dark land? Did they fear it and turn back to where they had come from, or did curiosity and the thirst for adventure beckon them to step beyond the Threshold? I had come here with a lost soul and a broken heart, and I doubted that I was the only one bearing such wounds.
As I walked along the lit, winding path that led through the Threshold, a breeze picked up and rustled what leaves remained on the trees and the grass that had managed to sprout despite the lack of sun. On the wind, I managed to pick up the scent of a stranger up ahead, but they were not alone; they were accompanied by the distinct, pungent scent of salt water and junipers; the scent of my home, the World's Edge. Coming to a brief halt, I twisted my ears forward and tried to pinpoint the group's exact location, my chest blossoming with anticipation. If another from the World's Edge had already found someone, then who was it? As Wingleader, I knew the majority of my herd, but my free time was not often spent leisurely speaking with them. Just for today, maybe I could amend that.
Moving forward, I began to pick up the sounds of voices, jumbled words until I got close enough to piece it all together. I wouldn't have been surprised if they were already alert to my approach, for my footsteps were far from stealthy due to my injury, but I served no threat to the group. From what I could tell, there were three of them; the name had escaped me, but one introduced themselves as a leader of a group called the Storm Strike, something I had yet to hear of. If the mare spoke the truth of her group, then I found myself believing her cause just. It reminded me somewhat of the World's Edge, aside from the anarchist part. Then, another spoke.
"... Newcomer, I am Harmony. Of the Assassins."
Harmony... of the Assassins? My eyes narrowed against the darkness, fixating towards the painted mare, but my posture retained its relaxed nature as I drew to a halt amongst the three mares. I had never personally met Harmony, but I had heard of her joining our ranks in the Edge, though now she was proclaiming herself to be a part of the Assassins. Without prior knowledge of the mare and in the company of strangers, a potential new member to our herd, I would not call her out just yet.
Focusing my bister gaze back on the pale colored mare, I offered her a gentle smile, eyes soft as I took in her general appearance. She was slim, her barrel compressed and ribs exposed against the light of the lamp trees. It caused my stomach to churn to see anybody in such poor condition, and my heart went out to her. Dipping my head in a respectful manner, I took my own turn to introduce myself to the scarred mare. "Welcome to Helovia, Miss; I am Destrier, Wingleader of the World's Edge, and the green is Suli. Might I ask what you seek in this new land?"
Lingering in a low branch just above my head, Suli had made herself quite at home, wrapping her tail about her body, the end of it draping towards the ground. Her gaze had finally left me and gone to the strangers, head tilting one way to the other as she took in what each had to say.
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HP: 66.5
