She had mulled over his eloquent words for the final reach of their tedious journey- dull only for the lack of altitude and grace blessed upon them when with feathers they had both been born. The Oracle liked him; felt a sheer sense of duty towards her new friend and the so subtle frailty of his unusual heart. It was true that she had felt similarly to a vast mass of bodies who had been too and from her world of rich red-gold and suffocating dry, that was the reality of her nature- a direct result of the tenderness in an otherwise conflicted heart. This creature however, who chose (perhaps? She could not tell yet) to stroll the length of the world just as she had been made to; whose tongue rolled with such simple grace and depth; with eyes were no more immoral than a scaled fish yearning after the fly whose last breath struggled against the barriers of watery doom, touched the weary sensitivity of her soul and challenged its worth. To her, he was as pure to look upon as Midas- unknown and still wildly curious in many ways, but with that mild-manner that seemed so effortlessly easy to trust.

"Oh no!" She cursed herself silently, in the veil of her guilty mind. Africa had left behind her prize- the plant, and suddenly her eyes glazed with disappointment. Silas felt the cloud of distress fray the nerves in her core and shifted, discomforted, with splayed wings. He probed her softly, searching for the cause of the unexpected stress and found for himself the image of the cactus lying and dying without the earth to cloth its helpless roots. Long-suffering wings of sleek black and purple-gloss spread to receive the cool updraft of a bursting southerly, and he lifted without the need to flap; circling a number of times above their heads as he rose into the cloud strewn sky and away to retrieve that which was so harmlessly forgotten. His dear-hearted beloved had become so critical of herself in more recent times, and it worried him extremely.

"I’m sorry Wind," she mumbled softly, fighting the frustration which was so alien and revolting as it crossed her sweet, pale expression. Surely her error was an innocent mistake, but too easily was she troubled. "Silas is going to find the plant. I forgot about it completely... After making such a grand fuss over it- She sighed and smiled, eased for the better by the kindness of the words before given to her by the jet-black stallion (with the snowy white blemish upon his wing). Actually, the seemingly innocent Oracle, who had committed much dishonour in her short time on earth already, understood completely the revelation of her philosophical company. She would have liked to start again also, again, but she knew with trembling apprehension that without facing the demons of her past, she would never wear that fresh new face of rebirth.

Regardless of her own trivial woes, she nodded altruistically in response- delayed, but focused and caring. When they had stopped by the still waters; the lifeblood of this herd, she turned his way and drew a long breath. "If you are willing to begin your life again this moment, I will be your greatest support. Know too though, that if it isn’t so simple as forgetting all you have been through, you will not have failed yourself, me, or any of your family in the Throat. To make this journey easier, heed my suggestion because it is heartfelt." How ever they had come to stand together by the lake as evening settled upon their shoulders, the Oracle reached to brush the wisp of her fine whiskers against him affectionately. "Build a network of friends here- Alina and Midas are the dearest who come to mind.” (Africa could not have known of the burden weighing so heavily upon the back of their painted Sultan- should she have been so aware, perhaps she might have thought twice about suggesting him as a potential friend and crutch).

Africa