No, it wasn't Shadow who stalked across the desert sands and called for the presence of others, some long since lost to time and distance. The raven wasn't too far away though. Returned from the southern parts of the herd-land she had been pacing back and forth in restless impatience, haunted by more than just the stale air and a pounding headache caused by the pressure of the approaching storm. She longed for it to release its fury upon them, shower the earth in life-giving rain and whip the desert sands with lightning and wind...

She stopped in her tracks and raised the head with a jerk as an unfamiliar voice came drifting on a smothering hot gust. Frowning the small pegasus spun around, legs stretching out in a rapid lope to gain speed, and along with a crack of thunder in the distance she unfurled the ebony wings and took to the sky. It went without saying that the unfamiliar presence would already have been spotted by someone. Their warriors were vigilant, perhaps more so now than usually because of the sudden decrease in numbers and the revealed frailty of their union; things that had been addressed, but that didn't just fix themselves by being aware of them. Without doubt her presence was unnecessary, but Shadow needed something to busy herself with, something to take the mind off her own problems.

Beating feathered appendages to a steady rhythm she soon found herself passing over two figures on the ground. One was familiar, the painted frame of Midas a welcome sight despite the pang of guilt she felt as eyes touched on the sultan; the other was not, and as she withdrew the wings slightly to speed up her descent towards the ground Skuggi felt curiosity and intrigue chase away the gloom - if only ever so temporary.

The mare touched down on safe distance from the others with slightly more force than was strictly necessary, hard hooves skidding and spraying up cascades of red sand before her. With a throw of the head she adjusted the balance expertly, movements deft and confident despite the speed and force, eyes flaring with a wild pride and intelligence as they immediately found the bulk of the stranger. Feathered wings contracted quickly to settle against the obsidian flanks, but not so fast that she was able to hide the unusual swell of the belly. Not too big yet, not actually hindering her movements; but even considering the season and her comfortable life it went beyond simply having gorged on too much grass.

Hoping beyond hope that Midas wouldn't have noticed, the short mare approached with a curious tilt of the head, noticing the warmth with which her herd-brother viewed the younger girl.
"You're acquainted?" she asked and came to a halt before the two, violent eyes clipping in the peculiar, bright light of the day as she looked between them. "Name's Skuggi" she introduced herself and offered the gray fae a curt nod, "I don't believe we've crossed paths before... "