It had been so long since altitude had washed away from her the cares strewn across the surface of the earth; she could not remember the rush of brittle air through wind-stroked feathers, nor the ecstasy pumped through throbbing veins with each powerful wing thrust. So many memories had been shoved into the far back recesses of her mind, and with them were swept much of those grandest. She never considered the new level of her own fitness, and how it had been so different when the draughts were the highways through life- she failed unfortunately to realise that her companion might suffer upon legs which were not born to hike such huge distances; across often rough and treacherous ground like Helovia was built upon. She remained oblivious as Vanity’s face offered little to betray her fatigue, instead exuding the delight of freedom and excitement. About this glee, the one-winged Oracle was overwhelmingly pleased.

The young mare’s mouth was parched, her coat tingling hot, even as they strode with their target in site. There was little which could be done though to ease the building tiredness, the biting pang of hunger and raspy thirst until they fell upon the vast stretch of lake; and Africa clung tightly to the thought of that- it compelled her forward, like a rainforest sapling striving ever upwards for long lost sunlight. Vanity’s stomach grumbled unhappily as the thought of dinner flooded her mind, and she turned with a smirk and a light-hearted chortle. “There is plenty to fill that hole.” She offered offhandedly, easily.
“I’m famished too…” The day had flown by so quickly, and she thought of that only meal she had indulged herself with, at the milky crack of dawn by the lower rim of the Threshold. The grass, foliage and browse in their luscious sanctuary were unlike anywhere else in Helovia- it was sweeter, richer and far more wholesome. It never ceased to amaze the lore-loving creature, how such abundant life could flourish in the harshest of environments.

All of a sudden the jovial palomino by her side lost control of her sheer happiness and leapt forward through a bright cry, churning hooves slicing through waves of soft, supple sand. It was absolutely something Africa might have done a year or so back, and she smiled thoughtfully without delving into the ruins of her past. She was not so playful like once she had been; forced to mature and learn the art of masked emotion- perhaps such restraint; that willpower suited the role she filled in the herd these days better than the foolish child who had toyed with flower prisoners and magic mushrooms.
A light smile slipped across her stormy-grey, whiskered maw and the grey pushed forward into a brisk, undulating canter; skilfully ploughing through the rolling dunes. She enjoyed quite undeniably the playful antics of her friend, it was a far cry from the frail wreck of a mare she had first stumbled across, earlier that day.

Smile and the whole world will smile with you...

It was a fact, and the unbridled mirth of Vanity was as contagious as winter flu. Africa watched contentedly as the other bucked and cavorted like she was a mere filly again, rocking to rest across her lean, weary right side. Such elation had not warmed the grey through for a long time and quietly she watched the display. Only when the flaxen haired girl trotted back, throwing forward the offer to play did Africa loosen her poise- and still it was perhaps not as dramatically as Vanity might have wished. She just simply did not have that brazen bliss to draw from any longer. Regardless she tried, and launched into a ploughing gallop that could have been easily matched by the other similarly sized mare- she did not wait, though and threw a loose, teasing buck out behind as she pulled away ahead. Undoubtedly they would fall like weather-beaten children through the first fronds of the oasis- without style and without grace. A least their hearts would be pounding for the peace they had discovered today.

Trembling legs staggered into the lush vegetation, but they were not allowed to rest, Africa forced them on until red-stained hooves plunged her exhausted, heat-stressed weight headlong into the crystal, cool water of the Throat. At last she stopped, sinking her body below the tranquil surface so that she could soak and wash the burden of the day from her lax, failing muscles. Tender eyes reached out across the embankment to make sure Vanity was close behind. “The perfect end to a long day.” She sighed with a relieved smile drawing tightly up the corners of her wrinkled mouth. Then, as the first stars began to twinkle far above, she dipped her lips to the water and began to drink.