Before the flood of dawn’s light shattered the stillness of the night, the young Oracle had arrived amongst the tangle of lavish Oasis vegetation and cool shade, to dine while her peers slumbered on. Silas found for them quickly with sharp beady black eyes, an Aquis Pipe hidden by the wayside of mainstream activity; nestled snugly beneath the broad arms of a palm carpeted in Red Spidering Moss. With eager haste driven by the rumble of his empty stomach, the young Zephyr descended upon the mass of unruly growth and slipped with avian nimbleness through slim gapes of vine so that he could retrieve the succulent blooms of the captive Pipe beneath.

The venture was not without its perils mind due, and he pulled short of another greedy lunge when the angry flicker of a disturbed kingsnake’s tongue rose before him. A steady hiss lifted through the quietude of the early morning, and the return clacking of a defiant beak that would ordinarily prey upon a serpent such as that, followed right after. Compelled by her will to live, the snake withdrew its feeble protest and retreated to safety, sinking into a burrow which lay in hiding by the foot of the smothered palm. With no desire to hunt a living creature, Silas returned to his business and after sipping the sweet cool liquid from one flower’s funnel, plucked from the Throat native a lavish breakfast for his beloved.

Africa’s hooves sank quickly beneath the yield of the sodden embankment by the Throat’s lapping edge; so did her lips so readily penetrate to cool, tranquil surface so that she could drink at length and restore her vigour. It had been another restless, sleepless night and her body ached still with the weight of the last day’s fruitless journey to the Threshold and back. It was not so bad if she rested overnight somewhere between, or by the old rough bark of the forest itself; but when she pushed to complete each leg in one day alone, it took nearly double as long for the weariness to leave fully her body. Such burdens were unknown by the majority of her kin; her winged brothers and sisters- their travel was gifted; aided by the churning corridors of air far beyond the reach of ground-dwellers. It had been a difficult lesson to learn, but by now she was comfortable in the bed she had laid for herself.

The soft flap of wings and the rush of air forced to life by their movement drew the Oracle’s pale face upwards. An affectionate smile lifted the peacefulness of her expression, and she breathed heavily in greeting for the arrival of her Bonded. "Thank you." She whispered through the bind of their in tune minds, and he purred warmly below the fluffing cloak of black, purple-sheen feathers upon his breast. As he dropped Africa’s portion by the lake beside her sunken hooves, the first light of day stirred to life the shrill chime of a well rested finch and as its beautiful song welcomed the chorus of many others, the mare and her friend ate their fill.

The gentle tread of another’s hoof upon the soft loam by the Throat drew Africa’s attention as she chewed finally upon the last Pipe flower. In the delicate hour, the stranger- brethren or not, appeared, descending as the Oracle had an hour before towards the water’s rim. A welcoming flutter of breath spread through the mild air between each Pegasus, and she turned as a courtesy; a natural show of respect, to meet the other mare. "Morning,” She began warmly, not nervous because this horse was both flighted and mingling by the central-most point of her home. "I love this hour, don’t you?" A kindly smile lingered with the sweet ring of her soft voice, and she nodded to Silas comfortably whose heart murmured unknown.

Africa