Soaring far beyond the blackened bridge of half-made wall marking the borderline of Dragon’s Throat, Silas was scouting with shrewd eyes across the turn of land beneath. His beloved was no warrior; no violent bone marred the gentleness imbedded through her core, and so regular patrols and missions alike, were as near to the thrill of a contributing army member that he could be. It was enough to indulge his fascination with the defence and protection of their home, and he filled the task with unwearying enthusiasm.

Above the summer sun held position in the vast blue pinnacle of the sky ferociously, and if not for the coolness of the air rushing aside of his path, he might easily have boiled right their beneath its wearying glare. Raven-black feathers rustled as the high altitude breeze clawed between them playfully, and his dark shadow swept quickly above the earth below- where the soft, golden sands of the harsh desert hardened into the packed, parched red soil surrounding the Heart of Helovia.

Rushing over the sea of rippling grass, he continued onwards north, dropping a little to better distinguish the flood of colours and shapes which manifested through the strange region. Apart from cutting left of the fire pit on their regular jaunts to the Threshold, Silas and Africa spent very little time exploring the Heart, and that was part of the reason he had guided the dappled mare from her sanctuary that day.

The shining face of gems stones littered the terracotta floor when finally the grass shrivelled away, and Silas swooped through the thick, suffocating heat to find Africa as she too emerged, though through the dry straw grass; hooves bound by grim gravity. They reunited affectionately, the avian fussing and flapping about her face while she half-reared with an outstretched wing to balance; uplifted face reaching in vain to bump the softness of her dark grey nose against him. There was still little understanding between the mates, though occasionally snippets like stray thoughts did streak between them; flashing through startled minds. Their bond was strong none the less, and as her fore hooves settled into the hard surface of the terrain once more, her tender, pale eyes caressed him adoringly.

Though no words were spoken, the duo continued towards the infamous lake of fire.

Silas noticed the girl first- the same Unicorn filly who had been preparing to nest in a cradle of gnarled tree roots in the Deep Forest, and he chirped harshly, though with no malicious intent; such was the nature of his crude vocabulary. She seemed to be dithering nervously by the gaping hole to the centre, and Africa’s breath caught in the base of her throat when she saw too the familiar figure, illuminated by the flames she was peering down towards.

“Cypress!” The young grey called quickly, without the concern which was brewing through her mind. At that point no other being seemed near, though Africa’s scan of their surroundings had been rather hasty. Silas swept from his favoured point upon the mare’s withers and fluttered near to where the filly was standing, not allowing his delicate plume too close to the burning edge for fear of drifting embers setting him alight.


(ooc: I hope it is alright if Africa jumps in, if not I will happily delete this ^_^ just let me know)